New Delhi: Social media was yesterday abuzz with posts that actor Prakash Raj, who has often been critical of the Narendra Modi government's policies, will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. But the actor has issued a clarification dismissing the reports.
In a sarcastic post on X (formerly Twitter), the actor wrote, "I guess they tried. must have realised they were not rich enough (ideologically) to buy me.. what do you think friends #justasking".
The 59-year-old was responding to a post by a user 'The Skin Doctor' which claimed that "Eminent actor Prakash Raj will join BJP today at 3 pm." The post, made at 2.56 pm, went viral within minutes and had raked up nearly a million views before the actor's response.
In January, Prakash Raj claimed that three political parties are trying to get him on board for the 2024 elections. He said that parties are after him not for his ideology but because he is a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I don't want to get into the trap," the 58-year-old said at the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF).
The award-winning actor is known for his work in films such as "Kanchivaram", "Singham" and "Wanted". He had contested as an independent candidate from Bengaluru Central in the 2019 general elections but lost.
Voting for the Lok Sabha elections will be held across seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.