If Prakash Raj wants to return awards, he shouldn't accept any: Union Minister Gowda

An actor who wants to return his awards shouldn't accept any, Union Minister and former Karnataka Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda said of veteran actor Prakash Raj, who has been chosen to receive a new accolade on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Raj said he felt like returning his five National Awards to the government, while criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on social media reactions to the murder of senior Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh. But Raj later said he would not return his awards.

The killers of Gauri Lankesh, a close friend of Raj's, have still not been found.
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"He is very good actor...but nowadays his ideologies support the Left, and that is not in line with what people think today. An actor who says he wants to return his award should not also accept an award - this is my personal opinion," Gowda said.
The star of Iruvar, Anthapuram and Puttakkana Highway, Raj has been chosen to receive the Dr Kota Shivaram Karanth Huttara Prashanth, in recognition of his contribution to cinema.
BJP members on the selection board have now refused to attend the ceremony.
Here's the video message in which Prakash Raj denies that he wants to return his awards. "I am not such a fool to give back the National Awards, which have been given to me for my body of work, and which I'm very proud of," he said.