Netizens on social media were abuzz with their idiosyncratic reactions after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday expressed concerns about the protest by farmers in India against laws to liberalise farm trade.
Twitter was chattier than usual, and while some objected to a foreign premier's remarks on India's internal affairs, others welcomed in the sense of solidarity at display beyond borders.
Notably, Trudeau has said that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest.
Criticising his remarks on the ongoing farmers' protests near Delhi, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday told the Canadian premier not to play politics using "India''s internal issue as fodder".
"Dear @JustinTrudeau, touched by your concern but Indias internal issue is not fodder for another nations politics. Pls respect the courtesies that we always extend to other nations. Request PM @narendramodi ji to resolve this impasse before other countries find it okay to opine," tweeted Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha member.
However, as with most things on the internet, Chaturvedi's tweet quickly went on to become a meme, with one netizen coming up with a hilarious spin on the original post.
Moving on, there were other (albeit "unofficial") reactions to the Canadian premier's statement, that made up for much of the missing Twitter "discourse" over seemingly unassuming topics of interest in these times.
Also, the running gag involving Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's nauralised Canadian citizenship did not go unmissed, as Twitter users jumped on the opportunity to pull off farcical quips.
There were many, however, from journalists to political personalities who condemned Trudeau's unwarranted statement and even called it an "attack on India's integrity".
Trudeau, in a Facebook video interaction on the occasion of Gurpurab or the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, on Tuesday said, "I would be remiss if I didn't start also by recognising the news coming out of India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning and were all very worried about family and friends."
"I know that's a reality for many of you. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that's why we''ve reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns," Trudeau had said.
Farmers are protesting at Delhi''s borders for six days against the new farm laws.
