Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Saturday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution. He made the remark at an event in Chennai for Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, attended by Shah.

“Really my heartfelt congratulations for your Mission Kashmir operations, sir,” Rajinikanth said, according to Puthiyathalaimurai TV. “The way you conducted it, hats off, especially the speech you delivered in Parliament, fantastic sir, fantastic.”

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Rajinikanth also compared Modi and Shah to Krishna and Arjuna, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. “Now people will come to know who is Amit Shah,” Rajinikanth said. “Am happy about that. So Amit Shah ji and Modi ji is like Krishna-Arjuna combination. We don’t know who is Krishna, who is Arjuna. They only know who is Krishna, who is Arjuna. So I’m wishing, I mean, good luck to you and to country through you. Thanks a lot.”

The abrogation of special status under Article 370 had evoked mixed reactions from Opposition parties. Parties such as the Congress and its Tamil Nadu ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam opposed it, but the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a BJP ally, backed it.