Chennai, November 17: Actor-politician Rajinikanth drew flak as aid materials distributed by his outfit - Makkal Mandram - to Cyclone Gaja victims has the actor's stamp over them. After the images were shared by the local media, the southern superstar was charged of seeking publicity amid a humanitarian disaster.

The civil society in coastal Tamil Nadu has asked the actor to apologise. The food materials with Rajinikanth's stamp were distributed in Nagapattinam, which has borne the worst impact of the storm. Cyclone Gaja: PM Narendra Modi Assures All Possible Help From Centre.

Nearly 80,000 residents in coastal districts were evacuated and sent to relief camps, as the the storm made landfall in the wee hours of Friday. Massive damage to public and private property was reported, while 28 people have been confirmed dead. The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of deceased.

Rajinikanth, who is set to make his official political launch on December 12 -- on his 68th birthday -- has so far drawn flak from other Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on a range of issues.

When the anti-Sterilite protests were underway in Tuticorin earlier in the year, Rajinikanth had drawn DMK, Congress, Left and fellow actor-politician Kamal Haasan's wrath for defending the central government.

He recently stoked a controversy after his comments suggested that he is against the idea of a conglomeration of Opposition parties to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP in 2019.

Leaders of the DMK have accused Rajinikanth of acting on the behalf of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, as the saffron party has failed to make inroads in the state "due to its staunch Hindutva image".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2018 01:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).