‘I'm 60, but look at these children’: What Prakash Raj told scared wife Pony Varma during Jantar Mantar student protests, Chalo Sansad march

Prakash Raj took part in the student protests with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi in July. Pony Varma recalls feeling shaken at that time.

Actor Prakash Raj took part in the student protests with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in June and July this year. He was part of the protests in Bengaluru and New Delhi, as well as the Chalo Sansad march. The actor’s wife, choreographer Pony Varma, recalls feeling shaken and scared when she saw police action at the protest. She even urged him to stay at a hotel rather than at the protest site, but he turned her down.

Prakash Raj, ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest march, at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi. (PTI)

What Prakash Raj told Pony Varma about student protests

On Prema’s YouTube channel, Pony recalled how she felt when she saw police action at student protests that Prakash took part in. “When he went for the protest, that first day, and when I saw that lathi charge and pellets, I was shaken, and I was scared. I was praying, and he said, these children are sitting there. I’m 60, but look at these children. What about their mothers? At least their mothers are feeling that Prakash Raj is sitting next to our children. That courage those mothers are getting. So, it’s very, very courageous,” she said.

Pony also recalled asking Prakash to stay at a hotel rather than at the protest site, but he declined. “Extremely courageous of him to go and sit on that truck. And sleep there only. You know, I said, okay, you want to go, go there. Can I book a hotel for you? Please, at least stay in a hotel and come back. He says, no. He slept there only on the stage. No water, nothing. A man of that calibre doesn’t need to do all this. But he says it’s for the future of this country. It’s the future of our children, and I can’t disagree with him,” added the choreographer.

Prakash Raj at the student protests

After alleged irregularities during the NEET exams following a paper leak, CJP and various student groups demanded the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Prakash joined the students at Freedom Park in Bengaluru in June. In July, he joined activist Sonam Wangchuk and student protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Later that month, he and Shabana Azmi took part in the Chalo Sansad march to the Parliament.

After videos of police action circulated widely on social media, the department stated that no permission had been sought in advance for the march. Reportedly, in official statements and an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police maintained that they used ‘maximum restraint and minimum required force’.