Greta Thunberg faces backlash after 'toolkit' tweet: Key things to know

Following on the heels of American pop icon Rihanna, Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday took to Twitter and drew the world's attention to the near three-month-long farmers' protests over the new farm laws.

Both Rihanna's and Thunberg's comments were met with sharp criticism from the government and its various officials in the days that followed. The government also drummed up support from celebrities from the sports and Bollywood industry, who slammed the comments made on India's "internal matter", which 'dented' the country's sovereignty.

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Thunberg, despite the backlash, has stood her ground, stating that she would not change her stance at all. Here are four things to know about the ongoing battle between Greta Thunberg and the Government of India:

What did Thunberg say?

In a tweet dated February 3, Thunberg shared a CNN article that spoke about the internet ban around Delhi's borders, near where the farmers are protesting. The same article was shared by Rihanna a day earlier. The article was accompanied by a caption, "We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India."

How did the government respond?

The government through the Ministry of External Affairs, in response, said in a statement that "vested interests" had been trying to ''mobilise international support against India." "Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the statement added.

The hashtags "#IndiaTogether" and "#IndiaAgainstPropaganda" were also used in the tweets posted by Indian celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar and Suniel Shetty.

FIR against Thunberg?

Reports on Thursday evening suggested that the Delhi Police, which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had filed the teenage activist's tweets in a First Information Report (FIR) for the 'toolkit' that she shared about the farmers' protest.

Also Read | Farmers' protest: Greta Thunberg cited in Delhi Police FIR on 'international conspiracy' in farmers' protest

Thunberg, on hearing this, reiterated her support for the farmers' protest.

The FIR was filed by the Delhi Police Cyber Cell.

Meenakshi Lekhi's comments

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi took a dig at the Swedish environmentalist, saying that Thunberg should be awarded the child bravery award for having uploaded a document which in the Centre's eyes is "proof about hatching a conspiracy to destabilise" the country.

She added that she "despised" the people that nominated a "child" for the Nobel Prize.

Also Read | Lekhi mocks Thunberg, says India should give her child bravery award