As hundreds of farmers make a valiant attempt to reach the national capital, Twitter is trending the hashtag "BoycottFood". And we assure you, the two are wholly related to each other. At the time of writing this article, the satirical trend has seen nearly 5,000 tweets.
For those of us living under a rock, since yesterday, various farm organisations have taken out protests in the national capital against the Centre's new farm laws. They had sought permission to protest in the national capital on November 26 and 27, but this had been denied. Despite the police barricades, the use of tear gas, water cannons and more they have continued to march.
But why does Twitter want to boycott food? Firstly, let us assure you that (most) people using the hashtag are not being literal. This is not a protest against some food item because of any perceived slight. The satirical trend appears to have been publicised by the influential Twitter handle 'RoflGandhi 2.0' who urged Team Baan to "boycott food" and "avoid lunch".
"The farmers are protesting against our beloved supreme leader, we will never tolerate his disrespect. We will #BoycottFood till the farmers wouldn't go back to their homes. Team Baan please avoid lunch," he tweeted.
The clarion call for a boycott of food items has since been taken up by many on Twitter, including those who appear to identify as members of Team Baan, and this continues to be a trending hashtag. A large number of the posts take a jibe at the BJP-led central government and its followers.
Team Baan is a name for the loyal followers of ROFL Gandhi. Their social media prowess is admirable, and issues that they decide to take up on social media soon become trending topics. The Twitter army of sorts has marked a significant appearance on social media with its anti-BJP stance and is believed to have aided many a trend, such as the massive number of dislikes on Prime Minister Modi's YouTube channel.
However, there is no proof of its allegiance with any political party.
