Shruti Seth sends an open letter to the nation
Responding to the abusive and hateful tweets which had pervaded all over Twitter against her, actor Shruti Seth has written a strong open letter addressing the whole nation. She has asked a simple question-"Is abuse an answer to dissent?" She questioned those men and women who abused her so relentlessly and cruelly if that was how they perceived women who had an opinion.
Addressing the nation on the ninth edition of "Mann ki Baat" over radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign #SelfieWithDaughter. He urged fathers to take selfies with their daughters and post them on social media. He also asked people to write a line or two in the tag line with the selfies in order to support the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign.
After PM Modi launched #SelfieWithDaughter campaign, Shruti Seth disagreed with the PM's way of creating awareness about female infanticide. She took to Twitter to express her opinion, "A selfie is not a device to bring about change Mr. PM. Try reform. #selfieobsessedPM" She further tweeted that change was needed in those illiterate parts of our country where phones with front cameras don't exist.
Soon after Shruti expressed her opinion about the #SelfieWithDaughter campaign being just a gimmick and an eyewash for society, her Twitter feed was flooded with hate tweets. People called her a prostitute and questioned her and her mother's chastity. The abusive backlash continued relentlessly for 48 hours and Shruti was forced to delete her tweets. But she stood by her opinion till the end.
Before Shruti Seth, activist Kavita Krishnan had also been a victim of social media trolls and abuse for criticizing the #SelfieWithDaughter campaign. Krishnan had sent the snapshots of the backlash she received to the police and urged them to lodge a FIR.
Shruti Seth once again took to Twitter to voice her opinion and fight back against the haters. She tweeted, "You've abused me, my parents, my husband, my daughter, my career over an opinion I stated. The darkness of this place leaves me hopeless." She further said that the hatred she encountered on a difference of opinion showed that India is no country for women.
