On his 39th birthday, cricketer Yuvraj Singh took to social media to speak about the farmers’ protests underway in north India. “Birthdays are an opportunity to fulfill a wish or desire and this birthday, rather than celebrating, I only wish and pray for a swift resolution of the ongoing talks between our farmers and our government,” Singh said in a statement he posted on Twitter on Saturday.

“Undoubtedly, farmers are the lifeblood of the nation and he believed that the problem could be resolved through peaceful dialogue,” the cricketer said in his statement. 

Singh distanced himself from communally-sensitive statements made by his father, Yograj Singh.

“I am saddened and upset by the statements made by Mr Yograj Singh. I wish to clarify that his remarks have been made in an individual capacity and my ideologies are not the same in any manner,” the cricketer said.

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Farmers have been protesting since November 26 against the three farm laws that were enacted by the Parliament in September. Farmers have demanded the withdrawal of the three laws.