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Shweta Tiwari says she is receiving online abuse from Marathi people: ‘Do you believe this is acceptable behaviour?’
Shweta Tiwari penned a note on receiving abuse on Instagram from many people who identify as supporters of Raj Thackeray.
Actor Shweta Tiwari is currently seen in the second season of The Traitors. On Thursday morning, the actor also grabbed attention when she tagged FDA head Tukaram Mundhe after finding cockroach in her online order from Instamart. Later on the same day, she revealed that she is receiving online abuse on Instagram from Marathis and supporters of Raj Thackeray.
Shweta pens long statement
Taking to Instagram Stories, Shweta wrote, “Today I want to talk about something that is both deeply concerning and unfortunately very common on social media: calling a woman: r****. Any woman. Of any age. From any profession. Any man from any background can come online and call a woman r****. And what shocks me is that these men are not necessarily uneducated or from troubled backgrounds. Many of them are educated, seemingly come from respectible families, have wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. And yet feel completely comfortable using the most degrading word they can think of for another woman.”
The actor then attached screenshots of the users' profiled from whom she received the abusive messages. In another note, she went on to add: “And I thought how do you go home to that family after speaking to another woman like this? Apparently he is also a supporter of Raj Thackeray or his party. And that brings me to something very personal. I have lived in Maharashtra all my life. My father was brought up in Mumbai. All my life I have grown up seeing the pride and dignity attached to being a Marathi maanus… I grew up believing that Marathi culture respected women, their strength and their dignity.”
Shweta questions Raj Thackeray
“So when I see people who proudly identify as Marathi maanus coming into women's DMs and calling them r****, I genuinely have to ask: Is this what being a Marathi maanus has come to mean? Raj Thackeray, if people like this are your supporters, then I would genuinely like to know, do you believe this is acceptable behaviour? Because speaking Marathi, calling yourself a Marathi manus or claiming to love Maharashtra is not enough,” she added.
She went on to conclude, “Because a woman doesn't lose her dignity just because you don't know her. And she certainly doesn't deserve to be called r**** simply becaue you disagree with her, dislike her or feel entitled to abuse her. Respect women not only the women you love but women. Period.”
Shweta tagged Tukaram Mundhe
Earlier, Shweta posted a video showing how she ordered a Red Bull from Instamart and found a cockroach crawling out of it. “We ordered Red Bull from Instamart, and we also received a cockroach with that,” she said. Showing how the cockroach was walking all over the furniture, she added, “Now the cockroach is running all over the house. Look at it, it’s tiny.” Someone even tried to swat at it before the actor stopped them.
She asked fans if she should tag Mundhe before addressing him directly, “ So, should we tag Tukaram Mundhe ji? Mundhe ji, now we are receiving cockroaches at home from Instamart. Aap kahan hai, please dhyaan dijiye (Where are you? Please look into this).” Shweta and her friends kept laughing in the video. Later, stylist Victor Robinson posted a picture with her, writing, “With the women who hate cockroaches at home and otherwise .. OG @shweta.tiwari.”
Mundhe has been quite the rage on social media recently as the Maharashtra FDA cracks down during inspections of food businesses and quick-commerce facilities. He has also taken strict action against establishments found violating food safety and hygiene rules.
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