On 8th August, students of Sir M Visvesvaraya College of Arts and Commerce in Bhadravathi, Shivamogga, Karnataka ‘purified’ the campus with Gau Mutra after actor Prakash Raj visited for an event. Prakash Raj was invited for a discussion on ‘Dialogue on Theater, Cinema, and Society’ in a program hall on the college campus. Notably, it was a private event, and when students learned about it, they launched a protest against it.
The protesters accused the organisers of conducting the event without including the students. The police were called for security during the event. Barricades were put outside the college to prevent the protesters from entering the premises. Such arrangements for the event led to an altercation between the police and the protesters.
Speaking to the media, Superintendent of Police, Shivamogga said the protesters included both college students and outsiders. It was unclear whether the alleged outsiders belonged to any specific political party. BJP district president Dharmaprasad came out to support the students and questioned what Prakash Raj could teach students.
BJP Yuva Morcha cleaned the Audotoriaum of Raghvendra Muth with cow urine after Prakash Raj’s visit in 2018
This is not the first time Prakash Raj has faced opposition over an event. In January 2018, BJP Yuva Morcha members purified the auditorium of Raghvendra Muth at Sirsi Town in Karnataka after Prakash Raj attended a left-backed event titled “Our Constitution, Our Pride” as a speaker.
Prakash Raj and his run with controversies
Prakash Raj, a popular actor in Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films, is one of the frontrunners in the left-liberal ecosystem against the Modi government.
He is known for his pro-Left, anti-Hindi and anti-BJP/RSS stand. In April 2023, Prakash Raj expressed dismay after Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep extended his support for BJP for the Karnataka elections. He claimed to be hurt by Sudeep’s support of the saffron party.
In March 2023, clips from his films hating Hindi went viral on social media. Interestingly, Raj has played some prominent roles in Hindi films. Despite his association with Hindi cinema, Raj has shown his anti-Hindi sentiments several times.
