Madikeri: I will appeal to the JD(S) leaders not to ally with the
BJP in the event of a hung assembly in Karnataka, said multi-lingual actor
Prakash Rai in Madikeri on Sunday. “If there is a hung assembly in Karnataka after the May 12 elections, I hope JD(S) does not join hands with the BJP.”
Making a strong case for regional parties, Rai added, “The culture of begging for tickets from the High Command must stop.
Regional parties are a solution to this problem.”
Making it clear that he had no intentions of foraying into politics, Rai said that positions such as MLAs and MPs were like small ponds, and he did not wish to remain trapped in them. “I am leading a meaningful life, and not looking at people as voters. I will not join politics. I want to be with the majority of the people, who love to pose questions to the government and the leaders,” he added.
Charging leaders of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu of betraying the people in the Cauvery dispute, Rai promised to expose the truth about the contentious issue in two months. “Instead of going against, and changing nature, we need to change ourselves according to nature’s rules. Leaders who are silent on decreasing inflow to rivers, illegal sand mining, etc, are betraying people of both states,” said Rai.
Affirming that he was not opposed to Hinduism, Rai said, “The murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh shook me. When I saw followers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrating her murder, I wanted him to condemn such actions because they were wrong. After this, I was called anti-Modi. After I said that BJP was engaged in communal politics, I was called anti-Hindu. BJP has failed in preventing communal politics in the country, and I am opposing the party. I am not an enemy of any religion.”
Stating that he started the #JustAsking hashtag with the intention of encouraging people to question, Rai said, “It is not a political forum.”
The actor said that he would return to Kodagu with the #JustAsking campaign to lend voice to some of the burning issues in the district, such as the adverse impact that tourism was having on the ecology of the district, the cases of human-animal conflict, etc. “Our leaders are not talking about these issues. But I love to ask questions,” Rai said.
