Prakash Raj On Why He Is Contesting As Independent
Preeti Sigh
4615
03 Apr, 2019
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Why does a successful actor decide to get into the unpredictable world of electoral politics, that too, not by joining an existing party but by striking out alone as an independent? When asked this, Prakash Raj, multi lingual actor and independent candidate from Bengaluru Central, said, "I think, I believe, I can feel the disillusionment of the people that both the national parties, they have not delivered. And if people are coming to me now, though I started voicing alone; I believe they have realised I am saying what is there in their hearts. An election is actually a conversation between the candidate and the person who elects."
The actor is taking on sitting lawmaker, PC Mohan of the BJP, who has represented the constituency for the last 10 years. And from the Congress, Rizwan Arshad is the candidate.
Prakash Raj told NDTV, "The last ten years we see a decade that they sit at home when they win the election... This has become a business. So as I walk down, I tell them this is not the time to blame anyone. We need to blame ourselves because all non-governance or corruption, the root is our electoral process. And as I talk about the issues which are really haunting the city and they realise - yes we are also responsible for electing the wrong people. I think Karnataka, India is ready for alternative politics."
He is critical of the contribution of the sitting MP. "They have seen (PC Mohan's) report card for the last ten years. They have not seen him on the streets. They have seen him again in the last 20 days of election. I think they are waiting to answer it," he said.
But if the aim of many in the opposition was to unseat the BJP and the NDA, wouldn't his presence divide the non-BJP votes?
"That is what Congress is claiming," he said. "Somebody who claims this should have won this seat before. When they have failed in the last decade, I don't think they should complain about that. Ask them to win again."
When asked if he felt that independent candidates stood a realistic chance when two big national parties were contesting, Prakash Raj admitted his fame was an advantage.
"It depends who is the independent," he said.
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