“Cover this breast that I cannot see”
.
Molière's verse could not be more timely.
In India, the dissemination of an image of Rihanna, posing topless for a lingerie ad, wearing little purple shorts and wearing a pendant of Ganesh - the most popular of the Hindu religion - around her neck, provoked the ire of local authorities and caused an outburst on social networks.
A few weeks before, the pop icon had already drawn the wrath of India for having defended the farmers currently demonstrating against agricultural reforms in the country.
To read also: India: an activist of the movement of Greta Thunberg arrested for "criminal conspiracy"
"It is scandalous to see how Rihanna shamefully mocks our beloved God Ganesh"
Ram Kadam, Indian parliamentarian and member of the BJP
The reactions, passionate, came from both ordinary citizens and Indian politicians.
Thus, Ram Kadam, parliamentarian member of the nationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged, on social networks, the Ministry of the Interior that
"a criminal prosecution"
against the singer be ordered.
"It's outrageous how Rihanna shamefully mocks our beloved God Ganesh,"
the chosen one tweeted.
As for the Hindu World Council (Vishva Hindu Parishad, VHP), a group attached to the Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata (BJP), a party in power since 2014, it claimed to have filed a complaint in order to obtain from Twitter and Facebook the withdrawal of the image, as well as measures against the singer's accounts.
Read also: Fenty it's over: a first failure for Rihanna
At the beginning of February, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had accused Rihanna and other international celebrities of interfering in a "sensationalist" way in the dossier of agricultural reforms in the country.
The star, like environmental activist Greta Thunberg, wrote a tweet about the farmer protests, which have been ongoing since November 26.
At the same time, the government managed to get Twitter to suspend some 250 demonstrator accounts.
Relaying a CNN report dealing with internet cuts in Delhi during the said protests, his message immediately went viral, was retweeted more than 230,000 times and commented on by nearly 80,000 people, including Thunberg and the vice-niece. - American President of Indian descent Kamala Harris, Meena Harris.