Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Priety Zinta among Bollywood celebs to come out in farmers support
Mumbai, Dec 7: Actors Sonam Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are among the growing list of celebrities from Bollywood who have extended their support to farmers protesting against the Centre's new farm laws.
Farmers have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday, warning that they will intensify their agitation and block more roads leading to the national capital if the government did not accept their demands.
Celebrities such as Diljit Dosanjh, Harbhajan Mann, Jasbir Jassi, Reitesh Deshmukh, director Hansal Mehta and others have already declared their support to farmers.
In a tweet in reply to Dosanjh's message of unity from the protest site, Chopra said their concerns should be addressed "sooner than later".
"Our farmers are India's Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that this crisis is resolved sooner than later," she tweeted.
Dosanjh, who took on actor Kangana Ranaut for her comments on elderly protesting farmers recently, later donated Rs one crore to the farmers' cause and even addressed a rally at the Singhu border on Saturday.
In his latest tweets, the actor has supported farmers' call for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday.
Actor Sonam Kapoor called farmers "founders of human civilisation".
"When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilsation," she wrote on Twitter.
Actor Priety Zinta said her heart goes to the protesting farmers, who she called the "soldiers of soil".
"My heart goes out 2the farmers & their families protesting in the cold in this pandemic.They are the soldiers of the soil that keep our country going.I sincerely hope the talks between the farmers & govt yield positive results soon & all is resolved. #Farmerprotests #Rabrakha," Zinta said.
Deshmukh, in a tweet, on Saturday, said, "If you eat today, thank a farmer. I stand in solidarity with every farmer in our country. #JaiKisan."
Actor Chitrangada Singh said it was important to keep farmers feeling protected.
"They feed us and work tirelessly with their sweat & blood. #respectfarmers."
Actor Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub are among the celebrities who have been constantly tweeting on the issue.
But some of the biggest stars from the industry have remained silent on the issue, leading to criticism from within and outside.
Singer Gippy Grewal has criticised Bollywood for not speaking up for farmers.
"Dear Bollywood, every now and then your movies have been shot in Punjab & every time you have been welcomed with an open heart. But today when Punjab needs you the most, you didn't show up and speak a word. #Disappointed."
Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi's two borders to protest against the new farm laws, which many farmers say will pave way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.
My heart goes out 2the farmers & their families protesting in the cold in this pandemic.They are the soldiers of the soil that keep our country going.I sincerely hope the talks between the farmers & govt yield positive results soon & all is resolved. #Farmerprotests #Rabrakha ? pic.twitter.com/b7eW8p8N3P
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) December 6, 2020
"When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization." Daniel Webster ?? https://t.co/26mfnHGZki
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) December 6, 2020
If you eat today, thank a farmer.
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) December 5, 2020
I stand in solidarity with every farmer in our country. #JaiKisaan
Our farmers are India’s Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that this crises is resolved sooner than later. https://t.co/PDOD0AIeFv
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) December 6, 2020
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.
Kerala FM calls for unity among communities, refers to US tariffs in Budget speech
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 2026-27 budget speech by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal saw a call for "unity" among the various communities and highlighted global issues like the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the incarceration of the Venezuelan President by him.
Balagopal said that "unity of Keralites" was the greatest treasure and the guarantee for the future growth and prosperity of the state.
It will help to attract foreign tourists, entrepreneurs and capital to our state, he said.
Balagopal said that the government has earmarked Rs 10 crore for a project to analytically record the history of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala so that people of "other lands" may also learn about it.
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It will also help to combat against the "highly venomous communal snakes" trying to destroy the unity of Kerala, he said.
"They have tried many times to poison the serenity of life in Kerala. We have so far been able to combat these poisonous elements by creating a defence of love and unity.
"But we have to realise that these venomous snakes spewing religious nationalism are not the ones who quickly admit defeat and retreat. We must see that they are active with new strategies to communally divide, polarise and subjugate the Keralites. The new strategy preached by ‘election experts’ is to stigmatise those who create the defence of public unity against communalism," Balagopal said.
He said that it was by recognising and respecting various religions and cultures that Kerala reached where it is now.
"Even in the legend of Lord Ayyappa and Vavar, there are yarns of religious harmony laced intricately together. This unity and fraternity may be astonishing to the people of many other lands.
"We have to take forward this historic fraternity of Kerala with more strength and spirit. History of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala has to be recorded analytically. The government intends to introduce a project for this, an amount of Rs 10 crore is earmarked for it."
Balagopal also referred to the tariff's imposed by Trump and said that his policies have created severe uncertainties in world trade and commerce.
"There is no doubt that this has adversely affected India and Kerala as well. It has also severely affected the export of our marine products," he said.
The minister further said that the central government yielding to Trump’s threats have adversely affected the state’s tax revenue.
"The details of the new free-trade agreement signed by India and the European economic community have not been revealed completely. However, there is a strong concern that this will have a negative impact on our dairy farmers and industries. In order to deal with the situation, we need to be prepared in advance," he said.
Balagopal, referring to the incarceration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US, said the world was "rolling back from the democratic order" and it was quite "apprehensive".
"The incident that the head of a state is being arrested from the President's house by America and incarcerated by violating all international laws was very rare even in the dark eras of colonial rule.
"Such incidents are a warning to us as well. We, the Keralites should unite and move forward for the best interest of the state. We can overcome any crisis if we stand united for the interest of the state. Our history teaches us so. Let us uphold the interest of our state and move forward to the future, together," he said in his budget speech.
