Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha recites poem in support of farmers
'Nazarein milake, khud se poocho - kyun?'
Mumbai, Feb 11: Doubling down on her support to the farmers protesting against the three agri laws passed by the Centre, actor Sonakshi Sinha has narrated a heartfelt poem, described as a "tribute to the hands that feed us".
The 33-year-old actor, who first expressed solidarity with the farmers last week, shared a video on Instagram on Wednesday evening to share her thoughts about the protesting farmers.
The 1 minute 19 second-long clip captures the visuals of the distressed farmers, who have gathered at various border points of Delhi since November last year as part of their protest against the Centre's farm laws.
According to Sinha, the Hindi poem was penned by Varad Bhatnagar, and the video was shot and conceptualised by Gursanjam Singh Puri.
"Nazarein milake, khud se poocho - kyun? A tribute to the hands that feed us... a beautiful poem written by @varadbhatnagar. Shot and conceptualized by @gursanjam.s.puri and narrated by me. #farmersprotest," she captioned the post.
"Why? Everybody is asking this question. Why have we got down on the roads? Leaving behind the fields, why have we stepped into these cities? These hands that would once plow the fields why have we now got into this politics?" Sinha asks as she recites the poem in the video.
She further questioned why the elders and children, who are out on the roads to protest, are labelled as rioters.
"Do they look like rioters? Why? Can't they all ask for their own rights? Why? Everyone enjoys the meal that we all have can't we all stand for them? Why? Ask yourself, why?" the actor asks as she urges people to show solidarity with the farmers.
Sinha first voiced her views on the ongoing agitation after international pop singer Rihanna drew attention to the protests via her now viral tweet.
"Why aren't we talking about this? #FarmersProtest," Rihanna wrote on February 2 as she shared a CNN news report headlined, 'India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police.'
Days after Rihanna's tweet, Sinha shared quotes on her Instagram Stories from a page called storysellers comics, which said the voices raised by international celebrities are "about the violation of human rights, suppression of free internet and expression, state propaganda, hate speech, and abuse of power."
Last week, the government had criticised the tweets by Rihanna and other international celebrities, saying facts must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, calling it "neither accurate nor responsible".
One of the Stories on Sinha's profile also dismissed the argument that it was India's internal matter, saying, "these are not alien species but fellow humans who are speaking up for the rights of other humans."
The "Dabangg" actor is among few celebrities from Bollywood including Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, Ali Fazal, Sushant Singh, among others, who have been actively participating in the discourse around the farm bills.
Thousands of farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November demanding the repeal of three new agriculture laws that they say will end the minimum support price (MSP) based procurement of crops like wheat and paddy by the government and usher in big corporates into the farm sector.
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Baramati plane crash: Rohit Pawar alleges attempts to shield VSR Ventures
Mumbai (PTI): NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday alleged that someone was trying to save VSR Ventures in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and claimed that the AAIB preliminary probe vindicated the doubts earlier raised by him.
He also accused VSR company of indulging in several grave lapses in the past.
The Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures, crashed near the Baramati air strip in Pune district on January 28, killing Pawar and four others.
In its 22-page preliminary report on the VSR Venture's Learjet plane crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the visibility at the time of the crash was below the required level. It also flagged about fading marks on the runway and presence of loose gravels on the runway surface.
Pawar said, "I am not against VSR or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Ajitdada was travelling in a VSR aircraft. Unless we go into the depth of every aspect, we will not know the truth. But someone is trying to save this company. The doubts we had raised have been proven correct in the inquiry report."
He also claimed that the AAIB report contained discrepancies, including mentioning Baramati as a district, and questioned how seriously the probe had been conducted.
Pawar, who has been regularly holding press conferences to raise issues concerning the Baramati plane crash, also contested the report's conclusion that the aircraft hit trees before crashing.
"The report says the aircraft struck trees and then fell. But there are no trees at that spot. There is only a small bush which the aircraft did not even touch. What is stated in the report about hitting trees is incorrect," he said.
Pawar further alleged that VSR Ventures had displayed irresponsibility on multiple occasions, citing an incident involving the then chief minister Eknath Shinde's Davos visit on January 20, 2023.
He claimed that the aircraft carrying Shinde had entered Iranian and Iraqi airspace without overflight permission, following which fighter jets from the two countries allegedly warned of action, forcing a change in route from Bahrain to Zurich.
"There have been several such grave lapses by VSR," he said.
Pawar demanded to know from where VSR Ventures derived its "audacity", and sought details about its investors and officials, though he added that he was not personally concerned with who they were.
Drawing a comparison, he said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death within two days, whereas a month had passed since the Baramati crash without a similar action.
He claimed that VSR Ventures had two directors and three shareholders, and that there were eight common names across two related companies.
He further alleged that the owner of VSR was related to the Union Civil Aviation Minister and questioned why the company, though registered in Delhi, had made high-value investments in Jubilee Hills (upscale area in Hyderabad) at rates allegedly Rs 17 crore above the market price.
The MLA representing the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district also raised concerns about the legal and institutional framework of the AAIB under the 2017 rules, claiming it was neither a statutory nor an autonomous body and remained answerable to the secretary and the minister, besides being attached to the DGCA.
"There is no independent investigative agency," he alleged.
