Pop sensation, Rihanna Supports Indian Farmers
Pop sensation Rihanna supports the farmers, who are protesting in India, on Tuesday using her Twitter handle followed by millions. She took to Twitter and questioned the internet ban imposed in Haryana and parts of Delhi by the BJP government during the ongoing Farmer’s protest in the outskirts of Dehli against the center’s agricultural law. Rihanna supported farmers by sharing a news report by CNN on Indian farmer’s protests. The singer asked in her tweet, “Why aren’t we talking about this?!”
why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest https://t.co/obmIlXhK9S
— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 2, 2021
Government Ban on Internet
The report by CNN was about the government’s decision to cut internet services to the protesting farmers. The BJP government in Haryana banned internet services in 14 out of 22 districts. The ban was first for 24 hours before the government extended it till 2 February.
A similar ban was imposed in parts of Delhi by the city police, which reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs headed by Amit Shah.
Read Also: India blocks internet in Haryana state after clashes with farmers
After Rihanna supports farmers, it became a top trend on Twitter in India and Pakistan. In just a few hours, her tweet got hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets and thousands of comments. Her message carries significance given her global appeal because the famous singer has more than 100 million followers on Twitter alone.
The Indian government has faced condemnation for its handling of the farmers’ protests. Twitter this week blocked hundreds of accounts for tweeting in the support of farmers’ protests.
These accounts included CPI-M MP Mohammed Salim, the news website The Caravan, and Kisan Ekta Morcha; the organization representing protesting farmers, among others.
The microblogging site had to withdraw its decision, taken at the behest of the IT ministry of the Modi government, after widespread outrage.
Read Also: Twitter restoring farmers blocked account in India
