NCP president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar should be more careful while speaking on farmers’ issues.

Many celebrities including Tendulkar and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar rallied around the government on social media using hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda following tweets by pop singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg backing farmers.

When asked about celebrities like Tendulkar and Mangeshkar reacting to the ongoing agitation by farmers against the three new farm laws at the borders of Delhi, the NCP chief said that people had responded strongly. “I would suggest to Sachin (Tendulkar) that he should be careful while speaking on the issues related to other fields,” Pawar told reporters.

He alleged the Union government was defaming the ongoing agitation of farmers by calling them “Khalistanis” or terrorists. “These agitators are farmers who feed our country. Therefore, it is not right to call them Khalistanis or terrorists,” the former Union agriculture minister said.