Kangana Ranaut Attacks Rihanna For Farmers Tweet, Calls Them "Terrorists"

Actor Kangana Ranaut on Tuesday held little back in taking on international pop star Rihanna for coming out in support of the farmers protesting on the outskirts of Delhi since November against the centre's agricultural laws.

Calling the demonstrators "terrorists", Ms Ranaut, who has 3 million Twitter followers versus Rihanna's over 100 million, said they were trying to divide India and called the singer a "fool".

The actor also raged at a Twitter user who pulled out an old tweet of hers, seemingly expressing her appreciation for a song by Rihanna.

An ardent supporter of the ruling BJP who has made no bones about her strong dislike for the farmers' protest that has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kangana Ranaut has frequently railed against the demonstrators.

The Queen star, who has faced a brief suspension on Twitter in the past for calling for the beheading of producers of a TV show that she deemed offensive to Hindus, has taken it upon herself to label the farmers' movement misguided, motivated and against national interest.

In December, she had a days-long feud with Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh over the farmers' protest, triggered by the new laws that they say will leave them at the mercy of large corporations and override safeguards against being cheated.

Ms Ranaut also faced widespread criticism for misidentifying a demonstrator at the farmers' protest as Bilkis Bano, famously known as one of the "Shaheen Bagh dadis" and alleging she had joined the protest for Rs 100.

Rihanna, who also tweeted about the coup in Myanmar on Tuesday, condemned the internet shutdown aimed at crippling the farmers' movement.

Internet services in the Delhi border areas of Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri - epicentres of the farmers' months-long protest against the centre's agriculture laws - were suspended on Saturday and the shutdown has been extended twice to be in force till at least 5 pm Wednesday.

The order by the Home Ministry had come over the weekend, days after sections of a tractor parade in Delhi by farmers on Republic Day strayed from agreed routes, triggering clashes with the police that left dozens injured and one protester dead.