'Beware of FDI- Foreign Destructive Ideology': PM Modi on global support to farmers' protests

In an address to Parliament's upper house Rajya Sabha, Modi said, "We must save India from a new version of FDI - Foreign destructive ideology. While we must keep the first form of FDI intact, foreign direct investment, we must protect ourselves from the new version of FDI!"

In the backdrop of the support to the farmers' protest by international celebrities as well as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Modi on Monday said, "A new entity has come up in the country- 'Andolan Jivi'. They can be spotted wherever there is a protest, be it agitation by lawyers, students, or labourers, explicitly or implicitly. They cannot live without 'andolan', we have to identify them and protect the nation from them."

Following the global support, several Indian former and present cricketers, popular Bollywood personalities tweeted with the same hashtags appealing people to remain united against any "propaganda".

Hitting back at the Prime Minister, Congress has put up a tweet which reads, "While the govt waste's its attention on this, we will save India from BJP's "new version of FDI" - Fascist & Despotic Ideology."

Amid the deadlock over the farmers' protests against the agricultural reforms, Modi on Monday said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will continue to exist, besides appealing to the protesters to end the agitation going on for over 70 days.

"MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future. Affordable ration for the poor will continue. Mandis will be modernised," Modi said during the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha.

In a fresh appeal to the protesters, Modi said, "The Agriculture Minister is carrying on his talks with the protesters. The doors are open to the protesters for discussion.

"Agitation is the right of people but I appeal to them to end the protest, send back elderly people to home and discuss with the government to bring a solution to the stalemate."