India is in the midst of a major protests these days as thousands of the farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s Singhu border against the new farm laws being imposed by the Indian government. While the farmers are demanding revocation of the farm laws, the government isn’t in a mood to give in to these demands following which there has been major unrest in the country. While everyone is concerned about the turbulent times, some celebs have taken to social media to express their views about the same.
Actress Konkona Sensharma offered an explanation for why a number of prominent Bollywood stars and cricketers put out similar tweets on the farmers’ protest with the hashtag ‘India against propaganda’ on Wednesday. She said that many of them perhaps did so out of ‘fear’. A Twitter user wrote, “When it comes to Bollywood or cricket celebs doing what they're doing, I wonder, is it the carrot or is it the stick? They're rich enough to not be bribed, so it must be fear of some kind. What kind? I hope some insider reveals the full story one day.” Replying to him, Konkona wrote, “@amitvarma I think for many, it is fear.”On Wednesday, a number of Bollywood stars including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar and others shared statements about the ongoing farmers’ protest. Some used the hashtag ‘India against propaganda’. Cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma also put out similar statements. Their tweets came after the external affairs ministry’s statement on certain ‘vested interest groups’ succeeding in getting ‘international support against India’.
International pop singer Rihanna voiced support for the farmers’ protest on Tuesday by sharing a news article on the internet shutdown near the site. “Why aren’t we talking about this?!” she asked. Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg shared the same story and expressed 'solidarity' with the protesters. Actor Sanjay Khan's daughter, jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali, meanwhile, expressed disappointment with the campaign and said that the film fraternity could have ‘tried to make (their tweets) more original’ at least. The ‘India against propaganda’ tweets were criticised by actor Taapsee Pannu, who wrote on Twitter, “If one tweet rattles your unity, one joke rattles your faith or one show rattles your religious belief then it’s you who has to work on strengthening your value system not become ‘propaganda teacher’ for others.”