Hollywood actor Susan Sarandon reiterates support to farmers
Must let India's leaders know world is watching
Mumbai, Feb 7: Hollywood veteran actor Susan Sarandon has amplified her support to the ongoing farmers agitation and said despite attempts to silence the "most vulnerable" Indian leaders should remember the world is watching them.
The "Thelma & Louise" star became the latest international celebrity to back the protest, after a tweet by pop star Rihanna triggered a wave of support for the protesting farmers by a number of global personalities, activists and politicians.
Sarandon took to Twitter late Saturday evening and shared a news report by Al Jazeera, headlined, "Free speech under threat as India clamps down on farmer protests."
"Corporate greed and exploitation knows no bounds, not only in the US but worldwide. While they work w/ corp. media and politicians to silence the most vulnerable, we must let India's leaders know the world is watching and we #StandWithFarmers! #FarmersProtests," she captioned the post.
Earlier on Saturday, the 74-year-old actor had shared a news report by The New York Times, explaining why farmers are protesting in the country.
"Standing in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India. Read about who they are and why they're protesting below," Sarandon wrote.
Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Meena Harris, an American lawyer and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, actor Amanda Cerni, singers Jay Sean, Dr Zeus and former adult star Mia Khalifa have also supported the protesting farmers.
The government had criticised the tweets by Rihanna and other celebrities, saying facts must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, calling it "neither accurate nor responsible".
Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting at three border points on the outskirts of Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
