Prakash Raj booked over 'controversial' remarks against PM Narendra Modi

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New Delhi: Indian film actor Prakash Raj has landed himself in a legal mess over his 'controversial' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A case has been registered against the 52-year-old star on a complaint filed by a lawyer.

The case will be heard in a Lucknow Court on October 7 this year. 

Criticising Modi for his silence on the murder of senior Kannada editor and activist Gauri Lankesh, Raj on Sunday said it was "disappointing" to see the PM follow those celebrating Lankesh's murder on social media.

"Gauri's killers have not been caught yet. But what is more disappointing is people celebrating her murder over social media spreading hatred," Raj said at the 11th state meet of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held in Bengaluru.

"Some of these people who celebrated her (Gauri's) murder are followed by our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) on Twitter. We have a PM who shuts his eyes to this," he said.

Immediately hitting out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Raj said, "When you look at the kind of statements he (Adityanath) makes, you don't understand whether he's a Chief Minister or a priest."

"He (Adityanath) is a better actor than me. I think I must give out all my five national awards to him," he said on a sarcastic note.

Clarifying Raj's statement, Muneer Katipalla, the state president of DYFI told IANS here: "It was only a satirical comment that Prakash Raj made referring to how Adityanath was trying to act like a Chief Minister." 

Raj, a popular actor in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil film industries, has won five National Film Awards for his movies.

(With inputs from agencies)