Actor Suniel Shetty has defended his recent tweet supporting the government's stand on the farmers' protest after receiving much backlash online.
"I am supporting the farmers. I'm supporting the government and supporting India. My statement was very very clear to all the celebrities from outside of India defaming us, and giving the wrong picture about what's happening in our country," he told ETimes.
"I'm a farmer myself, my forefathers were farmers. And we should always respect that. The farmers are our backbone. And that is the most important thing, my statement is very, very clear. That doesn't work. And this is to all the celebrities who are trying to comment on our country without really knowing too much about what's going on," he added.
Suniel Shetty and other celebrities such as Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar on 2 February each put out similar tweets echoing the Ministry of External Affairs' statement condemning celebrities who have spoken out about the farmers' protest on social media calling it "propaganda".
"We must always take a comprehensive view of things, as there is nothing more dangerous than half truth. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda" Shetty had tweeted.
Tweets by pop star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg condemning the internet blockade at farmers' protest sites in Delhi went viral after which the government falsely claimed that this was a concerted effort by the "Left" to incite unrest in India.
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