Chennai: Actor-activist Prakash Raj mounted a sharp attack on political leaders who evade media scrutiny, saying disrespecting press conferences amounts to "disrespecting" the citizens whose questions journalists represent.
Addressing reporters here on October 6, Raj maintained that while he belongs to no political party, he remains invested in people-centric politics, emphasising that the Constitution requires citizens to engage politically while elected representatives carry out governance.
He also criticised the ruling parties for avoiding transparency and denying democratic spaces for public protests and demanded accountability from those in power.
"Why are you refusing to hold press meets? Why are you disrespecting and demeaning the press?" Raj asked, emphasising that elected leaders, whether a Chief Minister or the Prime Minister, are duty-bound to answer questions posed by the media on behalf of the public.
Widening his criticism during the briefing, Raj launched a scathing offensive against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Union government over electoral integrity.
He voiced serious concerns regarding the appointment mechanism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, noting that replacing the Chief Justice of India on the selection panel with a Union Minister created an unfair 2:1 ruling party majority.
He also condemned legislative provisions granting sweeping judicial immunity to the CEC against legal action during or after their tenure.
Raj further alleged widespread flaws in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, claiming citizens were arbitrarily disenfranchised under "absent" or "shifted" tags simply for being at work, hospitals, or away from home during official visits.
Highlighting that intense administrative pressure had driven booth-level officers to suicide amid a lack of training and public awareness campaigns, he also accused the authorities of defying Supreme Court directives on reporting alleged foreign infiltrators and manipulating poll schedules to facilitate prime ministerial campaign announcements ahead of the Model Code of Conduct.