Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar, joining in the “India Against Propaganda” pushback after pop star Rihanna’s tweet in support of the farmers’ protests, said today only “Indians should decide for India” and the country’s sovereignty could not be compromised.
“India’s sovereignty cannot be compromised. External forces can be spectators but not participants. Indians know India and should decide for India. Let’s remain united as a nation,” Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, with the hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
The cricket legend is the latest to tweet after Bollywood stars, union ministers and others, who shared the government’s sharp statement after tweets by Rihanna, climate activist Greta Thunberg and many US and UK lawmakers and celebrities took the farmer protests to the global stage.
The foreign ministry said “a very small section of farmers in parts of the country” had some reservations about the farm laws and asserted: “Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.”
The government statement included the hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda, which were later used by many.
Rihanna, who has 100 million followers on Twitter and is among the most followed people on the microblogging site, had tweeted, “Why aren’t we talking about this?!” She had shared a CNN report on the internet shutdown near the protest site.
Actors Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and filmmaker Karan Johar posted that people should focus on the government’s efforts to resolve the farmer crisis rather than paying attention to “half truths”.
“Farmers constitute an extremely important part of our country. And the efforts being undertaken to resolve their issues are evident. Let’s support an amicable resolution, rather than paying attention to anyone creating differences,” wrote Akshay Kumar.
Ajay Devgn said: “Don’t fall for any false propaganda against India or Indian policies. It’s important to stand united at this hour without any infighting.”
Filmmaker Karan Johar said no one should create divides. “We live in turbulent times and the need of the hour is prudence and patience at every turn. Let us together, make every effort we can to find solutions that work for everyone – our farmers are the backbone of India. Let us not let anyone divide us,” he wrote.
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