Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 4

A day after several celebrities in the West spoke out against the stalemate between farmers and the Indian Government, the US State Department has weighed in by calling for observing human rights and rules of fair play while supporting the general trajectory of the three farm laws.

“We recognise that unhindered access to information, including the Internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy,” said the US State Department in response to a question on the ongoing farmers’ protests in India while calling for differences to be resolved through dialogue.

“In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment,” added Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson.

“We recognise that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same,” he emphasised.

The State Department has come into play after several politicians, including a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, backed demand by celebrities led by pop singer Rihanna for a resolution of the farmers’ agitation.

The tweets by some celebrities in the West, led to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issuing a statement that advised them to fully understand the intent of the farm laws before rushing to comment. However, with farm law oppositionists dominating the social media, the response went up a notch higher with several Indian celebrities, mainly cricketers, taking to the social media with common hashtags and near identical messages to preserve the country’s unity.

New Delhi says the three farm laws will give greater flexibility and freedom to sell farm produce but the protesting farmers claim they are heavily weighed in favour of the corporates.

The State Department as well as the celebrities have emphasised shutting the Internet services and police intimidation after a small group of farmers went off course during the January 26 Tractor March into Delhi and indulged in vandalism at the Red Fort. The Haryana government has since restored Internet services in parts of the state but not at the protest sites of Singhu and Tikri, on the border with Delhi.