Farmers in India have reached a deadlock with the government over its proposed new agricultural laws that the farmers feel will ruin their livelihoods and create an opportunity for large, private companies to enter and exploit the entire agriculture sector. The laws directly impact the farmers in India, therefore these same farmers have decided to protest against the Indian Government. The protest is currently in its third month and recently singer Rihanna tweeted out in support of the farmers of India, bringing light to the ongoing situation.
After RiRi made the tweet above to her 100 million followers, she initially received a lot of praise from her vocal supporters, alongside Bollywood actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh. He released a track in Punjabi dedicated to Rihanna, called “RiRi” where he references her as a “pretty girl from Barbados.” Additionally, Canadian politician, Jagmeet Singh, who Rihanna followed during his campaign for Prime Minister, showed his appreciation for the tweet as well.
But now, somehow, things have taken a turn for the worse.
It's worth noting, that Rihanna was one of many celebrity figures to draw attention to the protest. Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, the niece of the Vice President of the United States Meena Harris, and Lebanese American former pornographic actress Mia Khalifa all tweeted their approval of the protest.
Following this, the ministry of external affairs released a statement seemingly subliminally lashing out at these celebrity endorsements of the protest, while attempting to contextualize the protests and proposed reform.
"A very small section of farmers in parts of India have some reservations about these reforms. Respecting the sentiments of the protestors, the Government of India has initiated a series of talks with their representatives. Union Ministers have been part of the negotiations, and eleven rounds of talks have already been held. The Government has even offered to keep the laws on hold, an offer iterated by no less than the Prime Minister of India.
Yet, it is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them. This was egregiously witnessed on January 26, India’s Republic Day. A cherished national commemoration, the anniversary of the inauguration of the Constitution of India, was besmirched, and violence and vandalism took place in the Indian capital," the statement reads.
It concludes: "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."
You can view the full statement below.
The Indian government drew support from their own celebrities as well, with Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut calling Rihanna a “fool” and a "dummy."
Twitter temporarily blocked many of the accounts tweeting about the protests at the demand of the Indian government, while police have detained dozens of Indian farmers and filed sedition charges against well-known journalists within India.