Filmmaker Roopa Iyer has announced that she is joining actor Upendra's newly-launched party Prajakeeya and would contest the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections from KR constituency in Mysore.
Upendra walked out of his own party Karnataka Pragnyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) after its general secretary made series of allegations against him. He decided to float a new party named Prajakeeya in a meeting held on Tuesday. Soon after his announcement, Roopa Iyer extended her support to his party.
Talking to TV9 Kannada, Roopa Iyer said, "Upendra has been talking about Prajakeeya from the beginning. He will continue with it. There are some formalities of registering the party and we will work on it. We have unanimously taken the decision at the meeting held today."
Mahesh Gowda, the general secretary of the KPJP, had alleged that Upendra is behaving like a dictator and taking decisions on his own without consulting others in the party. When asked about it, Roopa Iyer maintained that every political outfit has got dictatorship in India.
Roopa Iyer said, "I know Upendra for 20 years. Several political parties had invited me to join them, but I was not ready for it. I was impressed with the ideology of Upendra's party. I agreed to join his party when he requested me. Every political party will have dictatorship and this is not the only party to have it. I know his ideologies and theory of life. My respect for him forced me to join him."
When asked about the ideology of Prajakeeya, Roopa Iyer said, Prajakeeya means it is by the people, of the people, and for the people. Here the people are the kings (rulers). Upendra intends to groom the citizens, make them leaders and allow them to rule their regions. Through these leaders, he wants bring transparency in all the departments of government."
Roopa Iyer has decided to contest as Prajakeeya candidate in upcoming assembly elections from Krishnaraja constituency in Mysore. The filmmaker said, "I am the daughter and daughter-in-law of Mysore. Hence, I have decided to contest the election from the Mysore KR constituency."
When asked whether she has done any work in the constituency, she said, "If you look at my past, I have selfishly not done something in one area keeping in mind that I would contest election there one day. Instead, I have done it for entire Karnataka. I have worked for AIDS patients and underprivileged children through my trusts. I have also done movies to create social awareness."
