The SIT constituted to probe the cold blooded murder of journalist-turned-activist Gauri lankesh, last month, so far got no clue, but the rhetoric and theories about her murder has taken wings. Gauri’s murder had evoked strong protests across the country and also became political issue blaming right wing and left wing ideologies. In a latest, south Indian well-known actor Prakash Raj has threatened to return all his awards and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence.
Addressing the members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Bengaluru on Sunday, Prakash Raj questioned the Prime Minister’s silence and also took a dig at him for his refusal to condemn the apparent right wing supporters celebrating Gauri lankesh’s murder on social media. He was asking the PM to condemn those who are celebrating her death who were also followers of PM in social media.
He said, “We don’t know who killed my dear friend Gauri lankesh, but we can see the people who are celebrating her murder. In my life, I have never seen so much abuse like what happens on social media. Some people followed by our Prime Minister on Twitter spew venom. And the Prime Minister turns a blind eye to this.”
“You can’t make me believe by making promises of good days. See, I’m a bigger actor than you people (Modi Government) and I can tell when you are acting. Please respect the fact that I’m a professional actor. When you act as if you don’t know anything, do you think I or people will buy itIJ” he added.
“I saw a video, I couldn’t tell if he was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister or a temple priest. looks like he plays a double role. When I see such talented actors, I feel like giving them all five National Awards that were given to me,” Raj said, adding, “let’s not be afraid of such people. They are not stronger than us. Our weakness is their strength, “ he said.
Prakash Raj has won five National Awards apart from State awards for his acting — Best Supporting Actor for Iruvar (1997, Tamil), Special Jury Award for Anthapuram (1999, Telugu), Special Jury Award for various movies, Best Actor for Kanchivaram (2007, Tamil), and Best Film for Puttakkana Highway (2010, Kannada).