MEA Slams Rihanna And Greta Thunberg For Their Tweets On Farmers Protest

Feb 03, 2021, 16:10 IST

Rihanna and Greta Thunberg tweeted about the ongoing farmers protest and extended their support to them. This led to an outrage where even the External Affairs Ministry issued a statement saying such comments by celebrities are ‘not accurate.’

Following the tweets made by Rihanna and Greta Thunberg that made farmers’ protest global, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement saying such comments by celebrities are not accurate. They advised everyone to not speak on matters where they do not have knowledge and understanding.

“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 statement issued by MEA said ‘celebrities and others’ without taking anyone’s name. “It is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests and derail them.”

The foreign affairs ministry wrote about the laws and Indian democracy. "The Parliament of India, after a full debate and discussion, passed reformist legislation relating to the agricultural sector. These reforms gave expanded market access and provided greater flexibility to farmers.”

“We would like to emphasize that these protests must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse,” the statement added.

The involvement of MEA was not expected in this case and has come as a rare occurrence.

Rihanna and Greta Thunberg

International pop sensation Rihanna took to her Twitter handle and posted a screenshot of an article that spoke of internet supply being cut off during farmers' protests.

The screenshot was of an article on Farmers protest. It said that during the farmers protest in Delhi, internet supply was restricted. Rihanna tweeted the picture along with a caption reading, “why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest.”

why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest https://t.co/obmIlXhK9S

— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 2, 2021

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut Calls Out Rihanna For Supporting Farmers Protest In India

Similarly young climate activist Greta Thunberg posted regarding the farmers protest and said we stand in solidarity with them. "We stand in solidarity with #farmersprotest in India,” read the 18 year-old Swedish activist’s tweet.

We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India.
https://t.co/tqvR0oHgo0

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 2, 2021

Kangana Ranaut’s Response

Earlier Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut reacted to both the tweets. She called Rihanna a ‘fool’ and added that the ones protesting are not farmers but ‘terrorists.’

No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like USA...
Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies. https://t.co/OIAD5Pa61a

— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) February 2, 2021

Kangana later slammed Thunberg and called her a spoiled brat. Thunberg is a Nobel Prize nominee and Time's Person of the Year in 2019. Kangana wrote, “No fancy activists will talk about genuine environmentalist our own grandma ... but they will definitely promote dumb and a spoilt brat Greta Thunberg, who is being used by entire left lobby and in return she gets to skip her education and school.”

What is it about?

The farmers have been protesting against the three farm laws that were passed in the Parliament, last year. The protest has been going on since early December. On 26 January, things became intense with the Tractor rally. Following the breaching of Red Fort and the chaos that engulfed, Delhi faced an internet restriction.

The internet services at the areas near Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri of Delhi were restricted on 31st Jan. it was later announced that the suspension will continue till Wednesday.

Read the Full statement here: