Jwala Gutta defends 'healthy debate' on Twitter, asks other athletes to 'speak up'

What's the story?

India's most successful doubles specialist in the sport of badminton is a tag that Jwala Gutta takes very seriously, but the southpaw has often been in the news for a number of other reasons that have caught the public eye.

Speaking out in favour of actress Swara Bhasker, Gutta first tweeted her opinion on the matter and slammed those who cannot support a "healthy debate".

I just don’t ustand what has happened to our society where we r not able to respect any opinion.where r we headed..why are we not able to have a healthy debate..a healthy conversation..why have we forgotten our humanness..why can’t Swara have an opinion n why can’t we respect it!

— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) January 31, 2018

She further went on to school her critics about right to equality and what the Indian constitution has to say about it.

To REFRESH everyone’s memory!! ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/FoP6sxk097

— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) January 31, 2018

In case you didn't know...

The controversy stems from an open letter to Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, by actress Swara Bhasker, where the latter criticised some aspects of the movie "Padmaavat". Jwala Gutta spoke out in support of Bhasker and aimed to promote women's rights in the country. As is the case quite often, however, her support was met by a number of detractors who didn't agree with what was being said.

The heart of the matter

The tweet about rights of a citizen comes after Gutta made it clear that every Indian, male or female, has the right to voice their opinion about a particular matter and hence does not deserve to be so brutally trolled as Swara Bhasker was. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Jwala Gutta voiced her concerns over the state of affairs in the country right now.

“It’s really sad to see that our society has stooped to such levels that we all find amusement at the expense of other people. All people want is masala, and it’s sad to see that there are some elements on social media, who like to abuse others behind the veil of anonymity.

“Another thing that irks me is that why other athletes do not speak up for what is right. All they say is 'thank you sir' and that kind of thing. What is the use of that? Behind all that glitter, it’s a dirty world out there, and we all need to collectively speak up about it. We need to bring out the real issues.”

What's next?

While it has helped us spread news and opinion throughout the world at a rapid pace, it remains to be seen whether the dark side of the social media can actually be curbed in the future.

Author's take

India being the diverse country that it is, something or the other will continue to irk a variety of individuals from different backgrounds and culture. However, that does not mean what one has the right to abuse someone who has different beliefs.