Rajapaksa’s son blames TN politicians for Rajni calling off trip

Namal Rajapaksa

In a fierce attack on Tamil Nadu politicians, Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan parliamentarian and son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accused them of blocking help that came the war-affected Sri Lankan Tamils’ way.

“True nature of Tamil Nadu politicians is revealed again. They won’t allow anyone, even @superstarrajini, to help #SriLanka’s Tamil people,” he tweeted on Sunday, responding to actor Rajinikanth’s decision to cancel his trip to Sri Lanka’s Northern Province following opposition from some Tamil Nadu politicians.

“What have they [Tamil Nadu politicians] actually done for Sri Lankan Tamil people other than protesting and raising slogans around elections? They have only used our people for their benefit,” Mr. Rajapaksa told mediapersons.

The lawmaker’s comments come a day after Mr. Rajinikanth called off his trip to Jaffna, scheduled on April 9. He was to hand over new houses — built by Gnanam Foundation — to Tamil families residing in the island’s war-battered north. Gnanam Foundation is an NGO named after the mother of Subaskaran Allirajah, who has produced the superstar’s upcoming film

2.0 .

Amid speculation linking his company Lyca to the Rajapaksa regime, which crushed the LTTE in 2009, Gnanam Foundation denied any connection to the former President. Accusing politicians, who had opposed the actor’s visit, of siding with their business competitors, Lyca on Sunday echoed Namal Rajapaksa’s comments: “These politicians did nothing to alleviate the suffering and hardship of our people affected by the war and for those languishing in refugee camps.”

Tax issue

This is not the first time Lycamobile, owned by Sri Lanka-born British Tamil businessman Mr. Allirajah, has been at the centre of controversy. A top donor to the Conservative Party in Britain, the company was accused of “opaque tax affairs” in a 2016 report in The Guardian.

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