British Labour Party MP Claudia Webbe on Wednesday taking to her Twitter account said that Indian farmers' issue will be debated in the UK parliament, as an online petition they started has got over 100,000 signatures, which qualifies the petition to be taken up for a debate in the Parliament.
“Boom. We’re taking this to the parliament. The petition has reached 100,000 & qualifies for a debate in Parliament,” Webbe wrote on Twitter. She also shared a screenshot of the online petition.
Boom
— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) February 2, 2021
We’re taking this to parliament. The petition has reached 100,000 & qualifies for a debate in Parliament#FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/B6nh7NqUoZ
The petition has been named “Urge the Indian government to ensure the safety of protestors & press freedom.”
“The government must make a public statement of the #kissanprotests & press freedoms. India is the world’s largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating an India that works for all,” the petition states.
Reportedly, the online petition has acquired 1,00,715 signatures.
The petition also stated that the parliament will consider the farmers’ protest issue for debate.
Any petition that gets more than 100,000 signatures is considered for debate in the UK parliament.
On December 17, 2020, the petition was created at the UK parliament’s official site for petitions by one named Gurucharan Singh and by Wednesday, 3 February 2021 afternoon it had gained 1,03,350 signatures.
BJP MP reacts
BJP MP Varun Gandhi took a dig at the British MP. Mr Gandhi said suggested Claudia Webbe that instead of discussing on Indian farmers issue they should be discussing how their former PM Winston Churchill's policies led to a massive famine in India in 1943.
International pop singer Rihanna and Swedish environment activist Greta Tunberg are among some foreign personalities that have raised concerns about the farmers’ protest that is ongoing in India for the last two months. They extended their support to the protesting farmers.
MEA reaction on Rihanna's Tweet
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday hit back at the international reaction and said, "the Indian Parliament after full debate and discussion has passed the reformist Agri legislation."
"The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible," the MEA said in a statement.