Key Points:
- On Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that the Centre should not have asked Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar to be part of its campaign against foreign celebrities who recently tweeted in support of the ongoing farmers’ protest.
- “They are recipients of Bharat Ratna. Actors like Akshay Kumar were enough for this task,” Thackeray said.
The Farm Laws have been an issue since the start and recently, foreign entities like Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and Mia Khalifa have tweeted about the issue. India and Indians have been quite cold towards the tweets and Bharat Ratna recipients like Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar have been among the other tweeters.
On Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that the Centre should not have asked Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar to be part of its campaign against foreign celebrities who recently tweeted in support of the ongoing farmers’ protest.
“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,” many celebrities tweeted this.
“The government should not have asked big personalities like Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar to tweet in support of its stand and put their reputation at stake. They are recipients of Bharat Ratna. Actors like Akshay Kumar were enough for this task,”
said Thackeray blaming the government for the personalities being trolled over their tweets.“This issue was about the policies of the government and not of the country. It was not a matter related to China or Pakistan. It was a matter of farmers. The Bharat Ratna recipients tweeted on behalf of the government and now they are being trolled,”
he said.
“Many people (celebrities) have reacted sharply to the stand taken by them (farmers). My suggestion to Sachin Tendulkar is he should be cautious while commenting on fields other than his domain,” NCP Chief Sharad Pawar had said.
Sachin Tendulkar tweeted saying,
“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. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.”
The reason behind the tweets of the icons were seen to be a response towards the comments passed through Twitter by US pop artiste Rihanna, former adult film actress Mia Khalifa, and climate activist Greta Thunberg, criticising the Indian government over the alleged mishandling of the ongoing farmer protest.
