New Delhi: The India-focused group of lawmakers in the US Congress have urged the Indian government to allow peaceful protests by farmers and provide them with access to the internet and journalists.

In a tweet posted on Friday night in Washington, Brad Sherman, the Democrat co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, announced that he had convened a meeting with the Indian ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

It was also attended by Republican co-chair Steve Chabot and Democrat vice-chair Ro Khanna.

Stating that he convened the meeting to speak with the Indian envoy regarding the ongoing demonstration by farmers, Sherman in a follow-up tweet urged the Indian government to "make sure that the norms of democracy are maintained, that protesters are allowed to protest peaceably and to have access to the Internet, and to journalists".

"All friends of India hope that the parties can reach an agreement," he stated.

Watch: What Brought The Farmers’ Protests Under Global Spotlight?

The Indian ambassador did not mention that the farmers' issue was discussed, but rather stated that there were "detailed discussions on varied issues with the leadership of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans for the 117th Congress".

Indian farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting for over two months on the borders of Delhi against three new farm laws enacted by the Indian parliament. While the protests had been peaceful, violent clashes broke out with police on January 26 when a tractor parade was organised in the Indian capital.

The farmers returned to Delhi's adjoining borders, where they have been camped ever since behind spiked barricades installed by the police. Authorities had imposed a ban on mobile internet services in those areas and blocked the entry of journalists.

Democrat congressman Sherman's remarks came after celebrities like US singer Rhianna tweeted a media report on the suspension of internet services due to farmers' protests. In response, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a detailed statement which observed that "temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible".

The MEA also tagged two hashtags with its press note – 'India Together' and 'India Against Propaganda'. A slew of Indian film stars and cricketers then posted tweets using these hashtags, asserting that foreign celebrities' tweets were interference in Indian internal affairs.

There has been no official Indian response to the comments by the co-chair of the House India caucus on the farmers' protests.

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