Bhubaneswar: If cricket is considered to be a religion in India, then iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar is considered the god of cricket. Seven years after retiring from the game Sachin Tendulkar commands the same respect and love that he got during his playing days. Well not anymore perhaps. Tendulkar’s post on the farmers’ protests has angered a section of his followers. He has been heavily trolled for his post of ‘let’s remain united as a nation’.
After pop star Rihanna’s tweet on the farmers’ protests a number of Indian cricketers – both past and present – took to Twitter to express their views. Tendulkar was one of the first to do so. He wrote: India’s sovereignty cannot be compromised. External forces can be spectators but not participants. Indians know India and should decide for India. Let’s remain united as a nation. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainst Propaganda.
The moment Tendulkar wrote the post, there were mixed reactions. However, a large number of people disagreed with the former Indian captain. An user wrote: It’s like a wife being beaten black n blue and family members retorting – ‘it’s internal matter’. Human Rights Violations is NOT an internal matter sir. Did you know 200 farmers died. 1 shot dead. Several still missing. Police brutality. Food water toilets facility stopped?
Another user also hit back at Tendulkar. He wrote: “So farmers sitting in bitter cold for two months are not Indians? Did you speak for them?” Another user asked Tendulkar not to be involved in politics. Dear@sachin_rt ji, I respect you like anyone else, plz don’t fall in politics stunt, we are eating bcz of farmers…if they are not we wo’nt be alive…plz stop this and support farmers…,” he said.
Another user trolled Tendulkar by saying Rahul Dravid was ‘right when he declared that day’. The user was referring to the Test match when Tendulkar was batting on 194 and Dravid declared the innings.
A Twitter user reminded Tendulkar that most of these farmers must have seen Tendulkar play. “170 farmers died. Most of them watched you play cricket, cheered every run you scored. But you didn’t say a word for them. Introspect yourself paaji (elder brother),” he wrote.
Another fan told Tendulkar that he was present at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where Tendulkar played his last Test. He attached a copy of the ticket and wrote that he has lost all respect for Tendulkar.
See link: https://twitter.com/MARVINDKUMARYA1/status/1356966903965655041/photo/1
There was another user who asked Tendulkar whether he was toeing the government’s line so that his son Arjun Tendulkar could play for India.
Nikhil Jadhav, a user of the microblogging site hit back at Tendulkar. “What is propogenda plz clear it Mr God of Cricket? Internet shutdown on the protesting site is a propaganda? Roads are nailed with sharp spikes that is a propogenda? 150+ Farmers died in chilling cold is a propogenda? Farmers protesting for their rights is a propogenda?” he wrote.