HYDERABAD

The State BJP on Saturday strongly condemned Tollywood actor-cum-political commentator Prakash Raj for his purported remarks against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the head of a Constitutional body.

In a purported video, the actor appears addressing a group of civil societies organisation and Cockroach Janta Party supporters where he says, “as we celebrated the Ganesh Nimmajan the other day, the time has come to perform the Nimmajan of Gyanesh Kumar, the CEC.”

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, BJP official spokesperson N.V. Subhash, and others came down heavily on the actor.

This is the level to which an actor of his stature could stoop, making such an unacceptable comment. He may be entitled to criticise the Election Commission, but comparing the CEC to an idol immersion crosses the line from political criticism to disrespect for a Constitutional institution, they said.

The leaders made it clear that being a popular actor does not give anyone a licence to mock Constitutional authorities. “If he has objections to the SIR process, let him place the facts and evidence before the appropriate forum instead of resorting to provocative street rhetoric,” Mr. Subash said.

He said Ganesh Nimmajan is a sacred cultural tradition and dragging it into a political attack on the CEC was deeply objectionable. The BJP made it clear that if Prakash Raj believes the SIR process is flawed, he should produce the evidence, pursue the available legal remedies and convince the people through facts and democratic debate. “Otherwise, talking about the political ‘Nimmajan’ of the CEC may generate headlines, but it contributes nothing to a serious democratic debate,” Subash concluded.