US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet audience at Howdy Modi event in Houston _file
New Delhi: After an uproar over tweets by international celebrities in support of protest by Indian farmers, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday took a swipe at the BJP-led NDA government and questioned why no questions were raised when some "nationalists" proclaimed 'Abki baar, Trump ki sarkar" in the US.
Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, tweeted: "Some of our nationalists pleaded in the US that 'Abki baar, Trump ki sarkar'. What did it mean? When we protested in chorus against the brutality on George Floyd, nobody questioned."
"But when Rihanna and Greta Thunberg sought to express solidarity with the farmers of our country, why are we getting so much rattled?" the West Bengal Congress chief questioned.
He said: "We are living in a global village. Why should we be afraid of any criticism, whatsoever? Just do introspection. You have all grown up by eating food produced by our foodgivers. Better you express solidarity with those Indian farmers also."
Chowdhury's tweets came after teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and singer Rihanna among a number of international celebrities came out in support of the farmers.
Narendra Modi on during his US visit in September 2019, had clutched hands of former president Donald Trump, at an event organised as part of his election campaign, and said: "Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar." The phrase means. "This time it's the turn of the Trump administration." It is an alteration of the slogan the Bharatiya Janata Party used ahead of the general elections in 2014, 'Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar.'
The gesture was then itself frowned upon many foreign experts as it was strange that any leader of a foreign nation take part in election campaign of another country favouring a candidate.
Rihanna had shared a news article on the Centre's crackdown on the protesting farmers by cutting off Internet services in many areas on the national capital's borders.
The Delhi Police Cyber Cell on Thursday registered an FIR to investigate an "international conspiracy" to defame the country, in the garb of support for the farmers' protest.
Special Commissioner of Police Praveer Ranjan said: "We haven't named anybody in the FIR; it's only against the creators of toolkit, which is a matter of investigation. Delhi Police will investigate that case," he said when asked if Swedish activist Thunberg was named in the FIR.