The controversy surrounding actor Prakash Raj's recent criticism of the ''silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi'' onr the ''celebration'' of the death of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh continued, with scores of protesters taking to the streets in Bengaluru in support of the actor.
On Monday, Mr. Raj said he was “disturbed, hurt and afraid” of the silence of Mr. Modi, ''who continues to follow those who celebrated Gauri Lankesh’s death.''
On Tuesday afternoon, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) gathered at the Mysuru Bank Circle, protesting with the message “questioning is a constitutional right”.
Later in the evening, writers and activists gathered on the steps of the Town Hall in support of Mr. Raj. Many said the questions raised by the actor were on the minds of people. However, the protesters said that instead of responding to these questions, many supporters of the current NDA government chose to target the actor personally on social media.
BJP hits back
Meanwhile, the BJP State unit hit out at Mr. Raj, terming his comments “immature”.
BJP State spokesperson S. Suresh Kumar on Tuesday said: “Mr. Raj has made the comments with the sole intention of getting claps from the audience at a programme of the CPI (M)’s youth wing. As an actor, he has spoken to the gallery.”
''If Mr. Raj wants to become politically active, let him float his own party. But it is not correct to make such immature statements against the Prime Minister,'' Mr. Kumar said.
Joining the attack, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar maintained that Mr. Raj should be attacking the State government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for Gauri Lankesh’s murder. “I wonder why he is blaming Mr. Modi. Does he lack common sense” he asked.