Joining the group of Indian public figures, tweeting under the “India Together” hashtag, after Rihanna’s tweet generated wild international support for India’s protesting farmers, Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli, on Wednesday, 3 February said:
“Let us all stay united in this hour of disagreements. Farmers are an integral part of our country and I’m sure an amicable solution will be found between all parties to bring about peace and move forward together.”
Rihanna’s tweet demanding to know “Why aren’t we talking about this (Farmers Protest)?!” has sparked a global outpouring of support for the farmers’ protesting the contentious farm laws for over 70 days now.
Following Rihanna’s tweets, a number of International public figures, including Climate activist Greta Thunberg, US Congressman and Foreign Affairs Committee member Jim Costa and US Vice President’s niece Meena Harris came forward to express solidarity with the farmers’ struggle.
What followed soon after was a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and tweets by Indian celebrities, both decrying global critique of Indian government’s treatment of farmers and/or telling country to stay united amid disagreements.
Prior to Kohli, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shashtri, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have also tweeted to the global outpour of empathy for farmers.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)