Actor Prakash Raj has been outspoken in backing the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement since it began earlier this year. Following founder Abhijeet Dipke’s recent campaign to reform government schools, which achieved results after his protest in Hingoli, the actor employed a pun that appeared to allude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘dimagi naxals’ remark made on Independence Day.
Prakash Raj says ‘dimagi bano’ after CJP shows results
On Tuesday, Abhijeet shared a video from Hingoli, announcing that their protest had achieved its goal. "This is the first major victory for the residents of Limbala in Hingoli district. The principal, who had issues with alcohol, has been suspended. I want to dedicate this success to Abdul and his father. As Abdul said yesterday, 'We must not stop now; we will continue until the school is improved.'" Abdul had joined the villagers in a protest demanding the suspension of the school principal, who was allegedly reporting to work while intoxicated.
Sharing the video again, a delighted Prakash wrote, “Thank you, cockroaches (heart emojis). This is the strength of citizens who demand accountability from the system (bicep emojis). Ask questions, don’t be subservient. Use your mind, don’t follow blindly. #justasking #SchoolThikKaro.” CJP’s ‘school thik karo’ campaign began in Abhijeet’s home village in Maharashtra. After his visit, he claimed that government schools there lacked essential facilities.
Prakash’s remark follows Prime Minister Modi’s call for citizens to ‘identify and isolate’ those he described as ‘dimagi naxals’. On Tuesday, his Dacoit: A Love Story co-star, filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap, also turned the phrase into a pun by wearing a T-shirt that said ‘dimagi nakal’ and ‘been into this since my school days’. Sharing photos of himself in the T-shirt, he wrote, “Family dinner and then my T-shirt that drew more attention.”
Prakash Raj in the news
Prakash recently made headlines after alleging that his name was removed from the voters’ list following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. He challenged the Election Commission over the issue, but the Commission maintained that his name had not been deleted. Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Central City Corporation stated that his voter status was marked as ‘shifted’ because he had changed residences, and that he was required to register again.
The actor had previously joined the CJP demonstrations in New Delhi to express solidarity with students protesting alleged irregularities in the NEET examinations. Prakash has appeared in the Telugu films Seetha Payanam, S Saraswathi, and Dacoit: A Love Story, as well as the Tamil movies Jana Nayagan and Kaalidas 2. He is also set to feature in the Hindi adaptation of Drishyam 3, along with Varanasi, Spirit, G2, and several other upcoming projects.