Kollywood actor Rajinikanth, who turned 66 on Monday, asked his fans not to celebrate his birthday on account of the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5.

Speaking at a condolence meeting on Monday, the Kabali actor said he had “hurt” the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief in the 1990s. “I had hurt her. I was a key reason for her (party’s) defeat.” Just before the 1996 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Rajinikanth had commented “even God can’t save Tamil Nadu” if Jayalalithaa returned to power. Rival party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had won the elections that year.

“Today, she’s resting like a Kohinoor diamond at the MGR memorial site and enjoys the love and affection of so many people,” he said at the meeting on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan were among the many who greeted the superstar on his birthday.

In 2015, Rajinikanth had requested his fans to avoid any celebrations because of the torrential rains that wreaked havoc in parts of Tamil Nadu, including in Chennai.