New Delhi: Looks like social media posts of international celebrities like Rihanna and Greta Thunberg over farmers protest have taken Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders with a storm with several Union Ministers, MPs and MLAs reacting with counterpunches on Twitter, terming it to be a part of ‘international propaganda’, with hashtags #IndiaTogether, #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
A Twitter frenzy broke out earlier in the day after American pop singer Rihanna on Tuesday night shared a news link on India’s farmers’ protest and tweeted, “why aren’t we talking about this?!” The bandwagon was followed by Greta Thunberg, the celebrity teenager famous for her environmental activism, US Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris and adult star Mia Khalifa.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) too reacted sharply to comments by the foreign celebrities and others, saying international celebrities tweeting on the farmers protests were neither accurate, nor responsible.
This was followed by tweets by several BJP leaders and ministers criticising comments made by foreign celebrities. Latest to react was Union Home Minister Amit Shah who said,”No propaganda can deter India’s unity! No propaganda can stop India to attain new heights!”
No propaganda can deter India’s unity!
No propaganda can stop India to attain new heights!
Propaganda can not decide India’s fate only ‘Progress’ can.
India stands united and together to achieve progress.#IndiaAgainstPropaganda#IndiaTogether https://t.co/ZJXYzGieCt
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 3, 2021
Even EAM S Jaishankar took to Twitter and said: “Motivated campaigns targeting India will never succeed. We have the self confidence today to hold our own. This India will push back.”
Motivated campaigns targeting India will never succeed. We have the self confidence today to hold our own. This India will push back. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 3, 2021
BJP National President JP Nadda too reacted to the controversy and wrote: “We stand together. We stand United against all attempts to malign India through propaganda and fake narratives.”
We stand together.
We stand United against all attempts to malign India through propaganda and fake narratives. #IndiaTogether#IndiaAgainstPropaganda
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) February 3, 2021
Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development Smriti Irani retweeted MEA statement on the issue with hashtags #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
#IndiaTogether#IndiaAgainstPropaganda pic.twitter.com/VPGvfm5mnC
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 3, 2021
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who recently presented Union Budget 2021, said, “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.”
“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.”#IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropagandahttps://t.co/rGJiPvlM4D
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) February 3, 2021
Union Civil Aviation Minister Minister Hardeep Singh Puri too took to Twitter and wrote: “A litany of lies is one of the many tools of misinformation being used to discredit the #FarmLaws & derail the negotiations by vested interest groups. That these laws were not debated & ‘rushed through’ top the list of such canards.”
A litany of lies is one of the many tools of misinformation being used to discredit the #FarmLaws & derail the negotiations by vested interest groups.
That these laws were not debated & ‘rushed through’ top the list of such canards.#IndiaTogether#IndiaAgainstPropaganda pic.twitter.com/dsJtMpSM2S
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) February 3, 2021
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for over two months now demanding rollback of three contentious agri laws passed by the Centre last year and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
