Citizens Have Full Rights to Raise Voices, Speak and Ask Questions’- Actor Prakash Rai

Citizens Have Full Rights to Raise Voices, Speak and Ask Questions’- Actor Prakash Rai

Mangaluru: An interaction with renowned South Indian film actor, film director, producer, thespian and television presenter who is known for his works in the South Indian film industry, and Hindi films, and who has 2,000 street theatre performances to his credit-Prakash Rai (Raj) was held at Mangalore Press Club on 14 March. President of Press Club Anil Ronald Fernandes welcomed the gathering, which was followed by Prakash addressing the huge gathering of journos, where he said, ” On the outset I would like to extend my sincere appreciations and heartfelt thanks to the media personnel who have played an important role in my life, thereby giving me full publicity. I don’t belong to any political party, nor I was with any political party before and will never join any political party. I will only fight for justice on various issues facing the citizens in particular and the society in general.”

• “India is a vast democratic country, then why are the citizens of India not allowed to enjoy the freedom of democracy. Citizens should have the full rights to raise their voices on civic issues or any other issues, also allow them to speak and ask relevant questions about the wrongdoings or mishandling of the government by the netas. We are in a country which is haunted by communal disharmony/corruption which is like Cancer. As a citizen myself, so also you all, have the right to get up and speak, and put forth our grievances and solutions so that we transform our country into a better and non-corrupt one. These days we have been controlled by the politicians and other law enforcement officials, not to raise our voices or speak out” added Rai.

He further said, “We should not allow our netas to earn a name for nothing, nor allow them to make money through corruption- we need to fight and bring a stop to it. As a citizen of this country, we have every right to question the politician/govt about their drawbacks and lacking in various issues. We see people in large numbers protest for one reason-simultaneously there will be another protest by more people fighting for their demands- but in the end, there is no one to listen and no one rectifies their demands or grievances. I have a started a campaign to speak out, thereby we can straighten up our politicians and their role in the govt. I have always fought on the idea of questioning, and now I want it to be as a campaign, where citizens will be allowed to speak and point out the wrongdoings of our elected govt representatives. As an actor I have faced backlash and criticism when I raised any questions- if an actor could face such problem, just imagine the fate of an ordinary citizen”.

“When I arrived at the airport I heard that few people were trying to get details about me and a few passed comments of hate and criticism. That’s the only reason I was provided security by the police, which I never expected. These people were there just to keep you quiet and not speak out. But why? As citizens we can speak, raise our voices or ask questions anytime we want- no one should stop us. Therefore I urge you all, don’t fear, be bold and start asking questions if you want to fix any problems. Rumours have spread that I am anti-Hindu. Have I ever said that I’m anti-Hindu, and so why all this fake news? When I hear about a lot of communal disharmony, assaults, murders etc happening in my hometown (DK) I get very much hurt. Why DK and Mangaluru have to be like that? Why can’t we bring a stop to such atrocities and communal disharmony?” added Prakash Raj.

He continued saying, “Our political system is filled with lots of loopholes and corruption- and that’s the reason I am staying away from joining any political party. I want to remain a simple man and as a fan of my many movie lovers- I feel great and proud when an ordinary/common person approaches me and interacts with me- that’s a blessing, and I will cherish it, rather than step into politics and look for hate and disrespect. Why people have to correct me when I am truthful. Everyone has their own duties and assignments- then why even bother to interfere in our personal matters. Politicians make policies, and they themselves abuse them and don’t follow them. We need to get together, unite and fight for justice. We don’t have to live under pressure from others and under their control. We have our own freedom and rights. I have been also called as a communist, which is far from the truth. “

When asked about the verdict on the infamous Mangalore Pub attack, where all the culprits were acquitted, Rai said, ” That decision by the court was wrong. There was a lot of evidence captured on the camera and video, what more evidence do you need. Just because the victims never complained, and also that the pub owner was not so co-operative, you don’t end the case in the favour of the culprits. Probably the girls were shy or scared to complain, thinking about the consequences that they would face later.Something needs to be done on this verdict, and I hope someone will come forward and fight for it”. I say that Moral policing should be stopped in DK/Mangaluru. There is nothing wrong with a girl or boy of different religion moving around. Who are these people to warn or advise them? It’s sad that the society has turned in such a direction.