Published 14:42 IST, February 8th 2021
Congress wants Sachin Tendulkar, Akshay, Saina & others' tweets probed; asks Maha govt
The Congress has sought a probe into the tweets by Sachin Tendulkar, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and others after they spoke in support of India and for unity
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In a shocking development, the Congress has sought a probe into the tweets by Sachin Tendulkar, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and others after they spoke in support of India and for unity in light of foreign celebs entering the farmers' protest row. According to sources, the Maharashtra government, via Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, assured Congress' Sachin Sawant over a Zoom call that the state intelligence department will probe whether Sachin Tendulkar and others were pressurised to tweet by the Centre.
Many celebrities including Tendulkar, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, Suniel Shetty, Saina Nehwal and others backed the government on social media using hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda following tweets by pop singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg backing farmers. Last week, NCP president Sharad Pawar said that Sachin Tendulkar should be more careful while speaking on farmers' issues.
There was a series of tweets after MEA's response to Rihanna's tweet. If a person, be it a celebrity, opine on their own, it's fine but there's a scope of suspicion that BJP could be behind this. We have cited common words like 'amicable' in these tweets: Sachin Sawant, Congress pic.twitter.com/mjLPrJsgpu
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2021
'India's sovereignty cannot be compromised'
"India's sovereignty cannot be compromised. External forces can be spectators but not participants. Indians know India and should decide for India. Let's remain united as a nation," Tendulkar had tweeted.
India’s sovereignty cannot be compromised. External forces can be spectators but not participants.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 3, 2021
Indians know India and should decide for India. Let's remain united as a nation.#IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda
The legendary singer also joined Indian personalities, including actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, in expressing support for the government's stand on the ongoing farmers' protests, saying that the country is capable of solving problems "amicably". Mangeshkar's statement came after the Ministry of External Affairs reacted sharply to comments by Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others on farmers' protests.
#IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda pic.twitter.com/JpUKyoB4vn
— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) February 3, 2021
Sachin Tendulkar's poster smeared with oil
The "temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments is neither accurate nor responsible, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Following his tweets, Tendulkar's poster was smeared with black oil by members of Kerala's Youth Congress. The cricketing legend has been subject to extensive criticism by several factions for calling out the propaganda by 'external forces'.
Kerala: Members of Indian Youth Congress pour black oil on a cut-out of Sachin Tendulkar in Kochi, over his tweet on international personalities tweeting on #FarmLaws. pic.twitter.com/Vy2DYuDk15
— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2021
'#NationWithSachin'
Time for India to come out in support for Sachin Tendulkar. Tweet your support with #NationWithSachin. Raise your voice for India!
— Republic (@republic) February 6, 2021
#NationWithSachin | He brought unparalleled glory to India; it's time to stand up for Sachin.
— Republic (@republic) February 6, 2021
Tweet with the hashtag, send us your videos and messages for @sachin_rt! pic.twitter.com/klgrTOxIOe
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. The protest sites have been turned into fortresses with police putting up multi-layer barricades and concertina wires to stop the movement of vehicles. The strengthened security measures at the agitation sites across the Delhi borders come after the violence during the Republic Day tractor parade.
14:33 IST, February 8th 2021