‘Disappointing that PM follows those celebrating murder of Gauri Lankesh’

Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the murder of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, popular South Indian actor Prakash Raj said it was “disappointing” to see the PM follow those celebrating Lankesh’s murder on social media.

“Gauri’s killers have not been caught yet. But what is more disappointing is people celebrating her murder over social media spreading hatred,” Raj said on Sunday, speaking at the 11th state meet of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held in Bengaluru. “Some of these people who celebrated her (Gauri’s) murder are followed by our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) on Twitter. We have a PM who shuts his eyes to this,” he said.

Raj also attacked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, saying,“When you look at the kind of statements he (Adityanath) makes, you don’t understand whether he’s a chief minister or a priest.”

“He (Adityanath) is a better actor than me. I think I must give out all my five national awards to him,” he added.

Clarifying Raj’s statement, Muneer Katipalla, the state president of DYFI, said: “It was only a satirical comment that Prakash Raj made referring to how Adityanath was trying to act like a chief minister.”

Raj, however, did not respond to attempts to verify if he really plans to return his national awards.

The 55-year-old editor of Kannada weekly tabloid by her name “Gauri Lankesh Patrike” was gunned down by unidentified men outside her home in the city suburbs on September 5.

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