SKM joins agitation over SIR irregularities; movement to grow: actor Prakash Raj

Actor and activist Prakash Raj addresses a press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka on October 19, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

Actor-activist Prakash Raj on Monday (Oct 19, 2026) said that the protest against the alleged irregularities of SIR is turning into a nationwide movement, with SKM joining the agitation.

Also read | Regime change in Delhi will happen only through voting, says Prakash Raj

He also claimed that voters would topple the Narendra Modi-led government at the center if it continued to crack down on dissent.

Mr. Raj said he attended a meeting of about 200 organizations in Delhi where the Samyukt Kisan Morcha announced its decision to join the protest.

“They saw the beating of children; they saw the protests,” Mr. Raj told reporters in Bengaluru, expressing happiness over SKM’s decision to extend support to the agitation.

Recalling the farmers’ agitation against the three farm bills introduced by the Narendra Modi government, he said the SKM had called on farmers’ organizations to join the protest on October 23.

“Despite the cannons, despite the bulldozers, despite stopping them, they won the battle and they just can’t keep quiet anymore. So they said: We are with the students.” It is not just a matter of students, it is a struggle of the country,” he said.

Mr. Raj said the movement would be bigger than the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar and blamed the government for the growing agitation.

He said the participation of farmers, jawans, trade unions and Dalit organizations would send a clear signal to the ruling regime that the country is coming together to defend voting rights.

“It’s not just a political issue, it’s the dignity of the voter, our right to vote, and that’s where we’re fighting,” he said.

“In this country we have a constitution, we have our voting rights and (Mahatma) Gandhi taught us how to fight. It will be a peaceful protest on the road. If these people (the central government) continue to disobey us and refuse to engage in dialogue, we will vote them out and bring them down,” he said.

Mr. Raj said the process could begin with the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur.

He reiterated that voters would unseat Narendra Modi and his government in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

“If you are going to use the military, force and silence dissent, if you are not prepared to answer to the people of this country, the people will bring them down. That will be regime change,” he said.

Published – 19 October 2026 22:25 IST