Mumbai, Feb 2: International pop star Rihanna on Tuesday extended her support to the ongoing farmers agitation while criticising the Internet shutdown at the protest site.

The 32-year-old singer became the first global star to voice her support to the protest.

"Why aren't we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest," Rihanna wrote on Twitter alongside a CNN news article headlined, "India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police." .

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November end, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

The tweet by Rihanna, who has 100 million followers on the microblogging site, garned thousands of retweets and likes within an hour.

Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker lauded the "Diamond" hitmaker's remarks, while Kangana Ranaut criticised her statement.

Farmer unions on Monday announced a countrywide 'chakka jam' on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the Internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.

Sites of the farmer protest at Delhi's borders have turned into fortresses with the police beefing up security and putting up multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles. Barbed wire has also been put up to keep off people on foot.

The strengthened security measures at the agitation sites across the Delhi borders come after the violence during the Republic day tractor parade by protesting farmers in which 394 security personnel were injured.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on a plea challenging his election from the Varuna assembly constituency in the 2023 state elections.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to Siddaramaiah seeking his reply on a plea filed by one K Shankara.

"Issue notice," the bench said.

Shankara has moved the apex court challenging an April 22 order of the Karnataka High Court which dismissed his plea seeking to declare the election of Siddaramaiah from the Varuna assembly constituency as void.

The petitioner alleged that Siddaramaiah had indulged in corrupt practice under the provision of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The high court had dismissed Shankara's election petition.