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In an interview with India Today, actor and activist Prakash Raj strongly criticised the detention of student protesters and the restriction on the Tiranga march in Delhi. Questioning the government's actions, Raj said, "The fear is evident. I'm asking Modiji, what happened to your Har Ghar Tiranga Nara? You are the one who started Har Ghar Tiranga Nara, and you will now arrest students, youngsters for going for a march of peaceful protest?" He asserted that protesters are unarmed and exercising their constitutional right to peaceful demonstration following the paths of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar. Raj challenged the administration over the conduct of the Election Commission and alleged voter deletions, asserting that democratic opposition will persist across the country. Dismissing allegations of instigating anarchy, Raj maintained that his ongoing participation in nationwide protests represents a peaceful, democratic civic duty aimed at holding authorities accountable.

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00:00Joining us now on our big story of the day is actor, activist Prakash Raj joins me.
00:07He's been a strong supporter of the Kaukruj Janta Party.
00:10Prakash Raj, Abhijit Dipke detain, Neha Bora detain, No Thiranga March allowed by the Delhi police,
00:18comes on the back of Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das also being arrested earlier this week.
00:24Your take away, do you believe that there was a clear violation according to the police of their prohibitory orders
00:31and therefore they had no option but to detain Abhijit and Neha today?
00:35The fear is evident. I'm asking, Modi ji, what happened to your Harghar Tiranga Nara?
00:45You are the one who started Harghar Tiranga Nara and you will now arrest students, youngsters
00:51for going for a march of peaceful protest? You are turning it violent.
00:57The youth of this country want to walk with the Tiranga.
01:01That is the way they protest because they believe in a peaceful protest.
01:07They believe in Gandhi, they believe in Ambedkar, they believe in this constitution
01:11and they're using their right.
01:36They say they are trying to do what the police is expected to do, maintain law and order.
01:42They refer to what happened on July 28th where the peaceful protest turned violent.
01:48They say we cannot take any such chances.
01:50There are prohibitory orders in place.
01:53Central Park is closed.
01:54They served a notice on Abhijit Dipke.
01:57They said this Tiranga march was only a ruse to create trouble.
02:02What a joke.
02:03Who is creating violence?
02:05Who is lathie charging the children?
02:07Who has released goons from jails and sent to the protesters with a hand giving them lathies?
02:14Why are the big vehicles full with uniforms and lathies?
02:19Who is hitting them?
02:20Who is misbehaving with the lady protesters?
02:24Who is the one who used the pellet guns?
02:27Who used AK-47?
02:29Did the youth of this country do it?
02:32Youth of this country, the citizens of this country are asking Jnanesh Kumar, why are you coming in between?
02:41Who is using the force?
02:42We are not using the force.
02:45We are not armed.
02:46We are armed with the constitution.
02:48We are armed with the right to protest.
02:52Why are you creating this?
02:54You are saying there is fear.
02:56You are armed with the constitution.
02:58But look at it from the state's perspective.
03:01The state believes that look, Central Delhi is not a notified area for protest.
03:07The Tiranga march therefore, according to them, would have been seen as a protest which is unacceptable.
03:14It would have caused chaos in the area in the heart of Delhi.
03:17Therefore, if you defy the prohibitory orders as per BNSS, you are being put in detention.
03:24We are following the law, the law of the land.
03:27What did the Supreme Court say?
03:31Did they stop the protest?
03:35After the Supreme Court comes, you will wait for the Supreme Court.
03:38The Supreme Court says, go ahead with the protest.
03:40Then you will bring this rule.
03:42Then you will put sections.
03:45Who is defining the Supreme Court?
03:47Who is defying the law?
03:49The police are.
03:50The army is and this regime is.
03:54You will go, even before Abdi Abhijitri walks out of his office, of his home.
03:59You will go sit there.
04:02He is walking alone.
04:04You will push him in.
04:07How is this acceptable?
04:09See, in this country, in the whole world, you use technically right rules only.
04:16You will use the same laws to break the laws.
04:20Didn't the Supreme Court the other day say, no, we can't stop the protest?
04:24They have a right to protest.
04:26In this country, the law says, as much as the street is for the people, traffic, it is also for
04:33the protesters.
04:34They are supposed to navigate the traffic, not to stop a protest.
04:40Not to stop a protest.
04:42How will you respond?
04:43And the government is also citing that, saying, look, this is causing public inconvenience.
04:48Festive season, traders area, the trader organizations have written to the prime minister saying, we do not want this area
04:54to be a scene of protests, of having so many thousands of police personnel there.
05:01We want our business to carry on as normal.
05:05Dear jokers, when you stop trains coming to Delhi, metros to Delhi, you fortified metro Delhi into a Jantar Mantar,
05:15then it was not causing problem.
05:17When your Prahan Mantri goes on his election tour, is it not causing traffic jams?
05:24When you stop traffic for hours, for election meetings, isn't it causing traffic jams?
05:34Who are you fooling this country?
05:37Where are you hiding behind the laws?
05:40You are conscious, you are morally wrong.
05:46Don't bring these technicalities.
05:48You are saying you are morally wrong, you are saying there is a fear factor.
05:51But Prakash Raj, you know, you have been traveling across the country, even as we speak.
05:56You are in Trivandrum, where you address this evening a rally at their Jantar Mantar.
06:02You are moving to other cities.
06:03You have been in Bengaluru.
06:04What is this movement about now?
06:07What began as a Gen Z protest to remove the education minister over need exam paper leaks is now about
06:13Gyanesh Kumar, chief election commissioner.
06:16What is the focus of this protest?
06:18Yesterday, Prashant Bhushan, at the press conference where you were there, said this is about regime change.
06:23So what is this actually about?
06:25Regime change?
06:26Changing the election commissioner?
06:27Why not?
06:27Or what?
06:28Why not?
06:29In a country that was different, Dharmesh Pradhan, now they are talking about the SIR.
06:36There is trauma in this country because of SIR.
06:39There are 13 crore people who have been deleted.
06:42Many of whom are there.
06:43People are suffering.
06:43Wait, let me complete.
06:45When we are asking question to election commission, why are you stopping us?
06:50We are now alleging that the selection of election commission itself was not a democratic process.
06:59When we are questioning why did you give him judicial immunity, which the president and prime minister does not have.
07:06When we are saying why did you remove eligible voters in Bengal elections, when we are asking them the question,
07:13the prime minister of this country, Mr. Modi Ji, and Amit Shah should say,
07:17Arre Gyanu, they are alleging us that we have conspired.
07:22Come out and talk.
07:23Instead of that, you have illegally detained Gyanu also and you are hitting us.
07:31If you are hitting us, dalme kuch kala hai, that means we want the regime down and we will bring
07:36it down democratically in this country.
07:39We are not Nepal, we are not Bangladesh.
07:43We have Ambedkar, we have Gandhi, we have Bhagat Singh, we have a constitution, we have a right to vote.
07:49In two years, we will bring you down.
07:53We will bring you down in UP.
07:55We will do it democratically, regime change, because if the regime is against the people,
08:01the Nara, who is making us talk this?
08:04You have pushed us because you are not talking to us.
08:08You are using force.
08:10That means this regime is stopping the voice of this country.
08:13And naturally, you are the reason for this Nara.
08:16You have instigated this Nara that we will bring the regime down because we have lost hope on you.
08:23Who's the we here?
08:25Who's the we, Prakash Raj?
08:28Is it because the government's constant refrain is, we've been winning elections after elections for the last 12 years.
08:35We have the mandate of the people of this country.
08:38You have no mandate of the people.
08:41You have no mandate of the bill.
08:43400, 240, you are not here because of the mandate of people.
08:49You are on crutches of Nitish Kumar and Chandra Babunard and Pawan Kalyan.
08:53You are buying MPs.
08:55You have planned and destroyed every regional party with your election commission.
09:01We are asking the basic questions.
09:03You are not powerful.
09:04You are not here because of the people's mandate.
09:06And you are very clearly, no, you will not come back with the people's mandate.
09:10That is why you are doing ched chad with the election process.
09:14This is my allegation.
09:16This is our allegations.
09:17And I dare Amir Shah and Modi to come in public, keep the media in front of us and answer
09:23our allegations.
09:24If we are wrong, we are ready to go to jail.
09:26We have proofs.
09:38The more you stop us, we know you are the culprits.
09:42Is this a battle though being fought on the street?
09:45Or does this become a battle to be fought on the street in a democracy?
09:49Or is the battle to be...
09:51How is this battle to be fought in a peaceful manner?
09:54I repeat the word peaceful manner.
09:55Let the opposition parties fight it in the parliament.
09:59For an issue in a democratic country should go to the parliament.
10:03We, the people of this country, will be on the streets demanding.
10:07You all do democratically in this winter session.
10:11We will continue to...
10:13Now, farmers have joined.
10:14SKM has joined.
10:17Today, the SKM says you can't beat our children.
10:20The simple society as Jantar Mantar, when will you stop?
10:26This will be a bigger crowd, bigger fight and bigger protest than what you saw in Jantar Mantar with Dharmesh
10:33Pradhan.
10:34You know, because...
10:35It is no more a Jantar Mantar fight.
10:37When you use this language, there will be again those who will say this is Prakash Raj virtually inciting people
10:43and spreading anarchy.
10:44That word is constantly being used.
10:46This is anarchy.
10:47That these anarchists, including Prakash Raj, are going to end up destroying democracy.
10:54Me saying, me saying, me saying, me saying that you are killing democracy through the constitution we are fighting.
11:03Me saying we will take Gandhi's way.
11:06Me saying we will come to the streets.
11:09Me saying democratically we will bring you down from Uttar Pradesh to 2029 elections.
11:15This is anarchy for you.
11:17Is this anarchy for you?
11:19Me saying we will fight with love?
11:23Me saying we will fight with the constitutional right we have to question, to pretest and vote?
11:30If this is anarchy?
11:34Or sending gundas, lati charging students, AK-47s, bullets?
11:39Is that anarchy?
11:41My final question to you...
11:42I think we will leave the world to decide.
11:44Okay.
11:45You know, Kiran Rejuju, the minister, clearly you've got under his skin because he's put out a video of you
11:51laughing.
11:52To a reporter's question that the protesters were targeting women constables.
11:57You were laughing, he says, in a villainous manner.
12:00And he says, this is not our Indian culture.
12:02Who is this utter shameless villain?
12:04And he's referring to you.
12:06What will you tell him?
12:07He is a shameless...
12:10What about, I mean, he is misbehaving with the women protesters is the culture of this country?
12:17Releasing rapists and garlanding them when they come out of jail by the BJP goons, is it the culture of
12:23this country?
12:25Giving lattes and uniforms to the goons and asking them to hit the protesters, is this the culture of this
12:30country?
12:33Answer me.
12:35So you will carry on going across the country, spreading the word, taking on this government.
12:40Am I correct for Prakash Raj?
12:41This is my responsibility.
12:44This is my responsibility.
12:46I owe to this country.
12:48I am a Deshbuk.
12:49I love my country.
12:50And I will not let these goons destroy our democracy.
12:54Prakash Raj, in conclusion, what is the endgame here?
12:58You're saying you're going to go across the country, raising your voice.
13:01The government is making it very clear.
13:03Gyanesh Kumar is going nowhere.
13:05Nothing is going to change.
13:06We are not going to do...
13:07We are not going to act under pressure.
13:10In fact, they say these protests are all being orchestrated by those who want to destabilize the country.
13:15The majority is with us.
13:16What is the endgame then?
13:19Endgame is, you are done, bro.
13:22Bro, Gyanesh, you are done, bro.
13:25Modi ji, Anitsha ji, you guys are done, bro.
13:30No, that's a one-liner.
13:32But the majority, when they say, when they turn around and say, this is all sponsored from abroad, there are
13:37foreign funds...
13:38They will say, yes, get the accounts, show the accounts.
13:45You just can't just say it.
13:47Do it.
13:48And if they say the majority of the people of this country are with them, not with the Prakash Raj
13:54and his friends, what will you say to them?
13:56Majority of the people are not with you, don't lie to us.
14:01Look at your numbers.
14:04Look at your vote share.
14:07And if, because you know the conspiracy, please talk to yourself in the mirror.
14:12You won because of you did shade chard with the voters.
14:16You have used election commission because you know you will not come back.
14:23Okay.
14:23SR is not only an act of removing votes.
14:27It is also trying to remove evidences of all elections post-2024 and the state elections.
14:35We know we have evidence.
14:38Well, put all the evidence, hopefully, out there in the public domain, if you have it.
14:42But we will wait and see.
14:44No, we have the evidence.
14:45We are asking them to come talk to us.
14:48Release illegal detention of Jnanesh Kumar.
14:51He is our prime witness.
14:53Please release him.
14:55Let's leave them to talk about it.
14:57We have our prime witness in illegal detention.
15:02Don't send it to the people's rights.
15:04Okay.
15:05Prakash Raj, combative as ever.
15:08Thank you very much for joining me on the show tonight.
15:11Thank you, Chief.

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