Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Friday extended wishes on the occasion of Diwali and urged everyone to celebrate the festival of lights without crackers.
"A very happy Diwali from me to you and your families. May god bless you with peace, prosperity and happiness this Diwali. Please remember do not burst crackers to protect the environment and have fun at home with your loved ones with a simple diya and sweets on this auspicious occasion," Kohli said in a video posted on his official Twitter handle.
After Kohli posted his video on the microblogging site and urged to celebrate a cracker-free Diwali, many Twitter users lashed out at him for being "hinduphobic" and a "hypocrite".
"Hinduphobia is a new cool for these celebrities," a Twitter user wrote. "Dear @imVkohli your straight drives and cover drives are where you excel. Please stop lecturing people on how they shouldn't burst crackers coz there are enough photographic proofs that would make you a hypocrite. I'm a fan of your batting, fitness, attitude, and leadership," said another Twitter user.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
Meanwhile, there were many other Twitter users who supported the Indian captain. "I stopped burning crackers from 2015 just bcz my idol @imVkohli requested us to celebrate environment friendly diwali !!! I will do anything for him #IStandWithVirat (sic)," a Twitter user said.
"Does our National pride deserve this hate on the auspicious occasion of Diwali? & to drag his pregnant wife into it. Absolutely disgusting! All he did was deliver a humble & logical Diwali message in the interest of the common man amidst the current situation. #IStandWithVirat," said another Twitter user.
Moreover, #IStandWithVirat also began trending on the microblogging site.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
