Prakash Raj lauds Kerala for keeping communal forces at bay

Palakkad: Actor Praksh Raj, who has been a critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government at the Centre and the Hindutva agenda for a long, has lauded Kerala for promoting free speech and berated the right-wing forces for stifling freedom of expression.

"There are two types of India. I can breathe fresh air only in places like Kerala which is a unique one in the country," the actor remarked.

"The first one is fools' India where you can hear "Santa Claus Moordabad". Kerala belongs to the second type. It is only here I can breathe fresh air. I express my gratitude to God's Own Country that keeps those monsters away," the actor said, while taking an indirect dig at the Hindutva forces.

He was speaking at a function in Palakkad on Sunday after receiving the award instituted in memory of Dr NM Muhammadali by the Kerala Gazetted Officers' Association.

Kerala Assembly Speaker MB Rajesh, who inaugurated the award-giving function, said that though Prakash Raj might be a villain in movies, in real life he was a hero who exposed real villains.

Rajesh further said that by honouring Prakash Raj we were actually honouring secular values, freedom of expression and the Constitution of India itself.