Mangaluru: Five times National award winning actor Prakash Raj, who was recently under fire for making scathing remarks against Prime Minister Modi, arrived at Padubidri in Udupi to participate in DK Shivaram Karanth award ceremony, on Tuesday, October 10.
DYFI and other association members welcomed the actor by garlanding him, amidst slogans in support of him.
Speaking to media persons, Raj said, “I am Shivaram Karanth’s grandson and nobody can stop me from meeting my grandfather. I am not afraid of protests as I believe everyone has right to protest. I am proud to receive an award in Shivaram Karanth’s name.”
It was recently that Prakash Raj had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an actor par excellence. He had made this remark while participating in the state level Convention of the DYFI, in connection to Modi’s silence over murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
He faced criticism over his statement from several quarters. The statement against PM Modi did not go down well with many and some even had launched a campaign asking Kotatattu Gram panchayath not to present him the award.
However, the Kotatattu Gram Panchayat decided to go ahead with the programme as per schedule on October 10. Jnanapeetha Awardee late Kota Shivarama Karanth’s house is in Kota, which comes under the Kotatattu Gram Panchayat in Udupi district.
For the last 12 years, the panchayat has been conferring the award, Dr Shivarama Karanatha Huttura Prashasti, to personalities from literature, journalism, education and Yakshagana. The award is conferred on Shivarama Karanth’s birth anniversary and this year too, it is scheduled for October 10.
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