New Delhi: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Thursday said for the first time that she was facing racist abuse "which she does not deserve" on British reality TV show, Celebrity Big Brother
Complaints about the programme have gone up to 30,000 in a matter of just two days. However, Channel 4, which broadcasts the series has denied the charge.
A recorded conversation with another particiapant on the show, Cleo Rocos, shows Shilpa saying that she feels racially abused.
"I am representing my country. Is that what today's UK is? It's scary. It's quite a shame really," Shilpa said to Rocos during the show. She added that she did not deserve this kind of treatment at all.
Rocos apparently replied saying that the behaviour of another participant - Jade Goody, about whom Shilpa was complaining - was not racist, to which Shilpa replied saying, "I am telling you it is."
Shilpa complained to Rocos after Goody apparently shouted at her saying "go back to the slums", during a huge row.
Despite being abused and racially targetted, Shilpa apparently said that she would not stoop as low as trading insults with other participants. She allegedly even advised a participant to "go and learn some manners".
The issue surfaced on Wednesday night after a row over stock cubes used in their communal cooking in which a housemate on the show said: "Shilpa should f*** off home. She can't even speak English".
Though Channel 4 has denied the racism charge, channel spokespeople have said that they will not tolerate any such controversial incidents during the rest of the series.
The channel has also said that any more of this behaviour and the offending participants may soon be saying goodbye to the show earlier than they expected.
A massive controvrsy has erupted after Shilpa Shetty was called a 'Paki', a 'dog' and accused of being a 'dirty Indian' and India was called 'a place where people are ill and thin' on the show.
Millions have protested on the Internet and the British Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Exchequer, the Indian Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Minister of State for External Affairs have all jumped into the fray, reacting to the racist abuse.
Tony Blair had said on Wednesday the House of Commons that he was opposed to racism in all its forms when Labour MP Keith Vaz raised the issue.
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