Prakash Raj said those who support "killers" cannot be called Hindus.
Actor Prakash Raj said on Thursday that he was not anti-Hindu as alleged by critics but only anti-Modi. "They say I am anti-Hindu but I say I am anti-Modi, anti-Amit Shah and anti-Hegde," the actor said at the India Today South conclave in Hyderabad.
He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and union minister Anant Kumar Hegde.
The actor went on to say that those who support "killers" cannot be called Hindus.
He said the Prime Minister remained silent when he appealed to him to speak out when some Modi supporters celebrated the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
"A true Hindu cannot support such activity," said Prakash Raj, who was a friend of Gauri Lankesh.
The actor's remarks evoked protest from the BJP spokesman in Telangana, Krishna Sagar Rao, who was in the audience.
The actor defended his stand. "When you can call me anti-Hindu, I have every right to say you are not Hindu," he said.
Prakash Raj is one of the sharpest and most vocal critics of the opposition BJP in Karnataka and is known to take to social media to express his views.