Famed Bollywood actor Prakash Raj on Sunday said it is time for the dispensation at New Delhi to listen to what Kashmiris have been saying so that a consensus is arrived at over the issue.
Raj, who won accolades for his role as ‘Gani Bhai’ in SalmanKhan starrer ‘Wanted’ and another movie ‘Singham’ starring Ajay Devgan, inwhich he played the role of ‘Jaikanth Shikreyi’, made these remarks during aninteraction-cum-meeting held at the office of Shah Faesal-led Jammu and KashmirPeople Movement.
“Ek hi line hai.Bolna band karo, sunna suroo karo. Kashmirko suno. Logoon ko suno (There is one line. Stop saying, start listening.Listen to Kashmir. Listen to its people). Don’t decide,” Raj said.
Raj added: “Inka samsiya kya hai? (What is their problem?)What do they want? Arrey aap suntaihee nahin hai? (You are not listening). Thatis where the problem lies. Listen toKashmir. Listen how you listen to a river? How you listen to birds? In the sameway listen to people of Kashmir. It’s theirs. Listen to them.”
Raj, who has been in Kashmir shooting for his upcomingTelugu movie, said he found people of Kashmir charming and loving, which istotally opposite of the picture being portrayed outside.
“Whole country has to just listen. I see so much of lovehere. What we get down south is totally different, a complete different image.I don’t see any hatred here. Isn’t it? I have actually come to listen to Kashmir,”he said.
He said it is time to shun “military approach” on Kashmirand instead adopt an approach of listening to the voices from Kashmir.
“Why are we on hearsay? Why does anything catch fire soeasily? Now Modijee’s government has come, I would like to have an effort beingmade to first hear Kashmiris. First listen. You just cannot say this is thesolution,” said Raj and added that in a situation that prevails in Kashmir youcannot “have arrogance to thrust a solution”. “First you need to have the humblenessto listen. You are not listening. I would like people here coming… Let’s behuman”.
Raj, who recently lost LS election from Karnataka, said itis time for people to stay united to make the government accountable ascitizens and taxpayers of the country.
“We are the eternal opposition. Because it is our money, itis our country, it is our tax money which we are paying. We needaccountability. We need transparency,” he said.
He added: “We need to be governed, administered. We need notto be ruled. Nothing can be forced on us. There should be a consensus. Thewhole concept of Indian democracy cannot be a judicial democracy. It is morefederal in nature. So, we need to listento people. And we need to know how we elect our representatives. I have beenalways saying that don’t look at political parties, look at yourrepresentatives who will represent you. Does he know your issues? Does he havea vision for your issues?”