PM Modi refers to 'toolkit' during Assam rally, says foreign powers planning to tarnish image of India's tea

Sonitpur (Assam) [India], February 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a veiled reference to the toolkit shared by Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg while extending support to farmers' protest and said that a conspiracy has been hatched to defame India and asserted some foreign powers are planning to tarnish the image of India's tea.
Speaking at an event in Sonitpur's Dhekiajuli, PM Modi said that the people must answer those who have decided to ruin the image of our tea. He also slammed the Opposition parties for being silent on the "toolkit" case.
"I want to talk about conspiracies against India. People who are conspiring to defame India have stooped so low that they are not sparing even Indian tea. You might have heard in the news they are saying they want to defame India's tea in a planned manner in the world. Some documents have come up revealing that some foreign powers are planning to attack India's identity associated with tea," he said.
"Will you accept this attack? Will you accept those who are involved in this attack? Will you accept those praising these attackers? Everyone will seek an answer from those political parties which are silent on this. We must answer everyone who has decided to ruin the image of our tea and everyone who supports such conspiracies. India will not let these conspiracies win. My tea workers will win this fight," he added.
Thunberg shared the document that is suspected to be created by Canadian-born Mo Dhaliwal, who is co-founder of the pro-Khalistani group 'Poetic Justice Foundation'. However, she later deleted her tweet.
Repeal of farm laws, disrupt "yoga and chai image of India", unified global disruption in the diaspora on January 26 were among the objectives mentioned in the toolkit.
On February 4, Delhi Police Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan said that the cyber unit of the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against unnamed persons in connection with the creators of the "toolkit'.
"We have identified some 300 accounts spreading dissatisfaction and disharmony towards the Government of India. 'Toolkit' account was being run by a group of Khalistanis. They had decided to conduct a digital strike post the Republic Day incident," Ranjan said.
"We have recovered a document about the planned execution. We have found out that it is a copycat execution. As of now, we have registered cases against the authors of that account. The case has been handed over to the cyber cell. Investigations are underway," he added.
On January 26, protestors broke barricades to enter New Delhi and clashed with police in several parts of the national capital during the January 26 'tractor rally' protest organised by farmers. The protestors also entered the iconic Mughal Era monument Red Fort and unfurled their flags from its ramparts.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the 'toolkit' case, which is being probed by police, has revealed a lot.
"I think it has revealed a lot. We have to wait and see what comes out. You can see there was a reason why the foreign ministry reacted to the statements which some celebrities gave out on matters on which they obviously didn't know very much," Jaishankar while responding to a question about the 'toolkit' case.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement that protests by farmers against new farm laws must be seen in the context of India's democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the Government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)