Hindu organisations in Karnataka's Bagalkot district have lodged a police complaint against actor and activist Prakash Raj for a controversial tweet he made regarding Chandrayaan-3
On Sunday, Raj shared a cartoon showing a man in a shirt and sarong pouring tea. He captioned the cartoon in Kannada, writing, "Latest news: First view just arrived from the Chandrayaan #VikramLander #justasking"
The complaint has been filed with Banahatti police station in Bagalkot district.
The Hindu organisations have charged that the post by Prakash Raj was mocking the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The complainants have demanded immediate action against the actor.
Following the post going viral, Prakash was slammed by Hindu organisations and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The people questioned him for mocking the most ambitious space mission of the country and also opined that without reason Prakash is ridiculing PM Modi.
Following the developments, Prakash on Tuesday maintained that, “Attention: dear unacademy trolls and godi media who only know one chaiwala.. proudly presenting.. ever inspiring our own malayali chaiwala since 1960s… if you want to be educated please read.” He had also given a link to an article titled, “Neil Armstrong And the Malayali on the moon”.
In a tweet on Monday, the actor said his earlier tweet was referring to an old joke from the era of Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969.
"Hate sees only Hate... i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times.. celebrating our Kerala Chaiwala.. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see?? f you don't get a joke then the joke is on you.. Grow up #justasking(sic)," Raj tweeted.
The actor is always known for his anti-BJP and anti-Hindutva stands and his fearless expressions against Hindutva groups and prominent Hindu and BJP leaders
Raj, who has made his mark in films such as "Kanchivaram", "Singham" and "Wanted", contested as an independent candidate for Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency during the 2019 general elections and lost.
(with inputs from PTI and IANS)
