After Prakash Raj Event, BJP Workers Sprinkle Cow Urine For 'Cleansing'

Bengaluru: After actor Prakash Raj addressed a recent event in Karnataka, youth leaders of the BJP sprinkled cow urine on the stage to "purify" it. Prakash Raj had been invited to speak at the Left-backed event titled, "Our Constitution, Our Pride" held at Raghavendra Mutt at Sirsi town in coastal Karnataka, 400 kilometres from Bengaluru.

The actor-columnist was reportedly critical of union minister Anant Kumar Hegde, the parliamentarian from Uttara Kannada who is known for controversial pro-Hindutva statements.

The BJP's Yuva Morcha, on the day of Sankranti on Sunday, decided to sprinkle "gaumutra" or cow urine and tulsi (basil leaves) in the auditorium in a "cleansing" ritual.

The workers also declared that all of Sirsi needed to be purified in the same way.

The actor, amused by a report on the cleansing act, tweeted it with a dig: "BJP workers cleaning and purifying the stage from where I spoke in Sirsi town .by sprinkling cow urine (divine gomoothra). Will you continue this cleaning and purification service where ever I go... #justasking".

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.

One of the BJP workers who took part in the cow urine sprinkling hit out at the actor, calling him a "left-leaning pretend intellectual" who had contaminated a religious place with his speech.

Karnataka, where elections are due later this year, has seen intense political sparring over the past few months.