Twitter war of words erupts as MVA alleges BJP pressure behind Celeb tweets on farm stir, orders probe

A Super Bowl Ad featuring farmers protesting in New Delhi at the NFL Final creates a storm in the US as it raises the hackles of the Indian American community.

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Mumbai: A full scale war of words has erupted between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the former ordered a probe on Monday into whether the BJP pressurized Bharat Ratna’s Sachin Tendulkar & Lata Mangeshkar and other Indian celebrities who countered international celebrities over farmer protests at the borders of New Delhi.

Meanwhile, an advertisement telecast during the Super Bowl during the half-time at the American National Football League (NFL) Final between Tampa Bay Buccaneers who defeated Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. Indian American community in various parts of the US has launched a counter-campaign against the controversial advertisement. The advertisement has deeply divided the Indian American community.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh after Zoom interaction with Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesperson and general secretary Sachin Sawant demanded a probe into the matter. In a statement issued later, citing identical use of the word ‘amicable’ and near word to word tweets by some Indian celebrities, some tagging Mumbai BJP office bearers, the MPCC spokesperson wanted to know why is the BJP keeping mum on why Saina Nehwal and Akshay Kumar’s tweets are almost identical?

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The MPCC spokesperson further wanted to know as to why the BJP was scared of a probe into the matter. Sawant further wanted to know whether the BJP had pressurized the celebrities into countering tweets after international celebrities tweeted. Accusing the BJP led union government of trying to pressurize those speaking against their government, Sawant argued that hence there is the need to probe whether the BJP is behind all this.

In a bid to douse the controversy, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh later in the evening tweeted “All those who have been conferred the Bharat Ratna are venerable for us. But were they pressurized by any BJP leader? A probe of that leader has been demanded”.

Meanwhile, activists of Raju Shetti led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna held placards outside the Mumbai residence of Sachin Tendulkar. Sources later disclosed that the security at the residences of Sachin Tendulkar and other celebrities has been beefed up.

In an escalating twitter war, the BJP questioned the MVA government with counter messages “what is wrong in talking in favour of national unity”? and “ordering probe in this, is an insult of these Bharat Ratna’s”.

In a series of tweets senior BJP leader Adv Ashish Shelar tweeted “it is learnt that a horrible news that a probe would be ordered on tweets by Bharat Ratna’s – Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar for giving befitting reply to international pop star for trying to poke their nose in our internal matters”.

Former chief minister and BJPs Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis while condemning the action of the MVA government sarcastically tweeted “we will never find such Ratna’s (Gems) in entire nation who order probe against Bharat Ratna, who always stand strong in one voice for our nation… Has this MVA Govt lost all its senses…? MVA should feel ashamed while using the word “probe” for Bharat Ratna… Actually now it seems necessary to probe the mental state and stability of the ones who made such demands and of the people who ordered probes against our Bharat Ratna’s”.