This article was originally published in Readoo Kannada and translated to English by Shruthi B.S.
This is a troublesome time for all those Kannada litterateurs who had done an award wapsi drama when Dr. M.M.Kalburgi was murdered. Now it is time for another Awardwapsi opportunity after the murder of Gowri Lankesh. But they don’t have any award left to return as all the awards which adorned their showcase have already been returned. Now the very famous actor Prakash Rai aka Prakash Raj has come to their aid like a good Samaritan, trying to save the dignity of this awardwapsi gang with the help of his five National awards.
Prakash raj’s awardwapsi news is spreading everywhere. Perhaps he must be daydreaming that his awardwapsi might create a chaos all over the nation and people will come running to him. But on the other hand, he has given a statement that he is not a fool to return his awards. Does that mean, all who have returned their awards are fools?! Didn’t he humiliate all those of awardwapsi brigade by calling them fools? Or is he saying though foolish he is sane enough to retain awards? People of Karnataka clearly understood his state of mind when he showered his condemnation on Modi after Gouri was murdered and not single word uttered condemning the failure of State govt. He who raised a ruckus in a tv studio and left angrily saying “I’m an actor and ask me the questions only related to acting,” doesn’t he realize that he is talking beyond ‘acting’ in Gowri issue? Or his hankering to get an award from state is encouraging to him to talk against Modi?
Instead of blabbering things like, “I know who celebrated Gowri’s death”, “I know who killed her” he should better give those details to SIT, the investigation agency set by State govt to look into Gauri’s murder. If he really knows who killed her then he should give the information to the govt. and get the prize-money. But if he keeps saying, “Modi is a better actor than me, he should be given all my awards”, “Modi should interfere in Gowri murder case”, we, Kannadigas are not fools to buy that.
It is not new, whenever a murder or commotion happens these so-called ‘Intellectuals’ arise. That too when there is a political gain! There will be an immediate meeting to discuss their strategies as how to bring Modi in the issue. Their work is half-done when they put all the blame on Modi. Next is hullabaloo in front of the media, their outcry will be in such way that within two-three days the issues will reach BBC, New York Times. Even international intellectuals will become their voice. All possible efforts will be put to embarrass our own country at international level.
Just see how selective their outrage has been! From 2013 to 2017 more than twenty journalists have been murdered. Rajesh Verma (IBN), Sai Reddy ( Deshbandhu), Rakesh Sharma ( Aaj), M.V.N.shankar (Andhraprabha), Mithilesh Pandey ( Dainik Jagaran), Akshay Singh (AajTak), Jagendra Singh (Samachar), Indradev Yadav (Taza tv) etc.. The list goes on. But it didn’t become sensational news because they weren’t leftist! They didn’t make Modi accountable for everything, they didn’t bring BJP unnecessarily in every issue, they weren’t sycophants of Congress. These news only managed to get single column whereas Gowri, who always used offensive language against Modi, who always hurt feelings of people by making derogatory comments on Hindu religion, who took pleasure in mocking Amith Shah’s appearance, who never followed a fair journalism, her murder becomes a sensational news, even in international media. Just imagine how much these so-called intellectuals must have worked!! Look at it from another angle, who all have gained by this? Congress needed a ‘death’ to secure themselves from failing in the upcoming election, intellectuals needed another awardwapsi drama. So why couldn’t it be them behind this murder??
It is up to Prakash Rai whether he wants to return his awards or he wants to throw them in a dustbin. But before giving disgraceful statements like “Modi is a better actor than me, my awards should be given to him” he should look at himself, what position he holds in front of Modi. He doesn’t need to bring Modi in everything to get some attention. Anyway, he has already come in to the notice of state Government. Soon an award might be announced and may he get an award from Modi government too for his real-life acting.
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