Highlights
- Rihanna took to Twitter to extend her support to Indian farmers’ protest
- The international pop star wrote: "Why aren't we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest"
- Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut responded to Rihanna by calling her a "fool”
- Climate activist Greta Thunberg has also lent her support to the protest
Rihanna created a flutter in India on Tuesday when she took to Twitter to show her solidarity towards the farmers protesting on the national capital's borders.
Sharing a link to a news story on the internet shutdown imposed around New Delhi, the pop icon wrote: "Why aren't we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest".
Rihanna, who has over 100 million followers on Twitter, sparked a global conversation about the agitation that has been going on since 26 November last year. As of 2 PM AEST on Tuesday, her tweet had received over 183K retweets, 55K reference tweets and over 400K likes.
While many people came out supporting her statement, others commented that she should not interfere with the affairs of another country.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut who has frequently slammed the demonstrators on Twitter ever since the protest gained momentum was quick to respond to Rihanna's tweet, calling the singer a "fool."
The Queen actress had earlier picked up an online feud with Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh when she tweeted about an elderly Sikh woman who had joined the protest.
Rihanna’s tweet drew many positive responses, including one from the Kisan Ekta Morcha (KEM), a joint front representing the protesting farmers.
“Glad! Thanks @rihanna for expressing your concern towards the ongoing farmers protest. ‘Hopeful’ that the masses stand by the truth. Whole world can see but why can’t govt??” wrote the KEM.
This comes after KEM's official account was 'withheld' by Twitter in India "in response to a legal demand."
Apart from Rihanna, Sweden climate activist Greta Thunberg has also lent her support to the protest.
"We Stand in solidarity with #FramersProtest in India," wrote the outspoken teenager activist on Twitter along with the same news report as the pop star.
Why are the farmers protesting?
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have continued to stay at the doorsteps of New Delhi in protest against the three agricultural reforms that were passed by the Indian government in September 2020.
While the protesting farmers' unions are seeking a complete rollback of the laws, the government has offered to suspend the laws for 18 months and form a committee to resolve their issues.
On 26 January, chaos and violence erupted in various parts of the capital as hundreds of thousands of farmers drove into the capital on their tractors, while others marched on foot leading to police action and multiple arrests.
Support for protest in Australia
Earlier, Australian parliamentarians Rob Mitchell and Russell Wortley had joined several world leaders to urge the Indian government to show 'restraint and compassion' to protesting farmers.
People of Indian-origin living in Australia are also using various forms of expression to lend their support to the agitation.
