Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni trended after celebrities tweeted #IndiaAgainstPropoganda following tweets on farmer protest by Rihanna and Greta Thunberg.
On the evening of February 4, many celebrities tweeted with the #IndiaAgainstPropganda. The response was initiated after tweets from pop singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg on the farmer protest went viral. There were many Bollywood celebrities who countered the tweet of Rihanna and Greta Thunberg. The Indian cricket team also tweeted about the situation, with players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri, Pragyan Ojha all tweeted with the hashtag #IndiaAgainstPropoganda. However, it was the tweet by Sachin Tendulkar that divided many people on social media. "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.#IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda," Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.
The tweet has been retweeted close to 88K times, liked over 212K times and has had close to 41K comments. However, not many people were happy with the tweet of Sachin Tendulkar. In the process, Rahul Dravid, who is not on social media started trending. Many users expressed their displeasure but one comment went viral when several users said, "Rahul Dravid was right to call you back that day." The users referred to the incident during the 2004 Multan Test when Rahul Dravid was the captain and he declared the innings when Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 194. Sachin Tendulkar was clearly not happy and that moment has been etched in the memories of many cricket fans.
Even MS Dhoni trended for not having commented on the farmer protest or for the #IndiaAgainstPropoganda. MS Dhoni is not active on social media and he rarely updates his Twitter or Instagram handle. The last time MS Dhoni tweeted something specific was on the acquisition of the Rafale Jets that was heavily retweeted and liked by many social media users.
No external interference
Sachin Tendulkar, along with many celebrities, tweeted about the farmers' protest being an internal matter and the outsiders should just play the spectators' role and not interfere. Several other cricketers and former cricketers have come in support of the hashtags coined by the Ministry of External Affairs.
A few international voices like pop-star Rihanna and Swedish activist Greta Thunberg voiced their opinion against the internet shutdown and supported the farmers' movement. However, the MEA termed the calling out as inaccurate and irresponsible.
The Ministry of External Affairs, reacting to the support the farmers' protest was getting from international celebrities, in a release said, "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. We would like to emphasise that these protests must be seen in the context of India's democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the Government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse," the statement added.
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 "Rahul Dravid Sachin Tendulkar")
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