Disrespecting media amounts to insulting citizens: Prakash Raj on police crackdown in Delhi

• Prakash Raj says avoiding press conferences amounts to disrespecting citizens.

• He questions the ECI's appointment process and judicial immunity for the CEC.

• Raj alleges flaws in voter-roll revision and pressure on booth-level officers.

Actor-activist Prakash Raj on Tuesday criticised political leaders for avoiding media scrutiny, saying refusing to hold press conferences amounts to “disrespecting” citizens whose questions journalists represent.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai on 6 October, Raj said he does not belong to any political party but remains invested in people-centric politics. He said the Constitution requires citizens to participate in politics while elected representatives are responsible for governance.

Raj also criticised ruling parties for avoiding transparency and restricting democratic spaces for public protests, and called for greater accountability from those in power.

“Why are you refusing to hold press meets? Why are you disrespecting and demeaning the press?” he asked, arguing that elected leaders, including the chief minister and prime minister, are duty-bound to answer questions raised by the media on behalf of citizens.

Raj then turned his criticism towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Union government, raising concerns over the conduct of elections and the integrity of electoral processes.

He questioned the appointment mechanism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying the replacement of the Chief Justice of India on the selection panel by a Union minister had created what he described as an unfair 2:1 majority for the ruling party.

He also criticised legal provisions that he said provide the CEC with sweeping judicial immunity against legal action during and after the tenure.

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Raj alleged that voters were being arbitrarily disenfranchised under labels such as “absent” or “shifted” simply because they were at work, in hospitals or away from home when officials visited.

He further alleged that administrative pressure on booth-level officers had contributed to suicides, while claiming that inadequate training and a lack of public awareness campaigns had compounded the problem.

Raj also accused authorities of disregarding Supreme Court directives concerning the reporting of alleged foreign infiltrators. He further alleged that poll schedules had been manipulated to allow prime ministerial campaign announcements ahead of the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.