Prakash Raj on solidarity with student protests

CHENNAI: Many celebrities have extended support to the students’ agitation in India. Among those who physically marked their solidarity was veteran actor Prakash Raj, who joined the students on July 19, Sunday, a day before their march to the Parliament.

On the day of the march (July 20), he was there in a truck as students marched to the Parliament demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the NEET paper leaks in May this year.

‘For my conscience’

Speaking to reporters at Jantar Mantar, the actor said that he is there for himself and his contribution to the nation is minuscule in comparison to what leaders like BR Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi have done. “You cannot lose integrity. People ask who I am doing all this for. I am not doing this for the nation, I am doing it for myself,” he said.

He added that he is not afraid, for he stands with the truth. “I don’t want to die before my death. One should be afraid of lying; why should there be fear in speaking the truth,” he asked. “And, what should one be afraid of? This is not what Bhagat Singh taught us,” he said.

The actor has been one of the very vocal voices from the Indian film industry who have stood with the students since the beginning of their protest. Swara Bhasker, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Ratna Pathak Shah were other stars who have extended their support to the students and also condemned the government’s crackdown on the protest.

As the protest gained momentum, actors and filmmakers in Chennai staged a protest at the Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore on Thursday (July 24). The protest was spearheaded by director Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Social.

Bollywood celebrities including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Kareena Kapoor Khan have broken their silence by issuing statements in support of the students while also urging them to stay calm.

Government agrees to two demands

As of July 24, Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike at midnight after a meeting with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. After a meeeting with the Union leaders the CJP has said that the government has agreed to their two demands regarding the compensation for the victims of NEET paper leak and assured no legal action against the protesters. The outfit has made clear that the protests will continue till Pradhan is sacked.