PM Modi was on a two-day visit to Dhaka where the two nations signed 22 agreements.
New Delhi:
The hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman has been right on top of the India trends on Twitter all day, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing flak for a comment yesterday in his address to the Indian community in Bangladesh at the Dhaka University on Sunday.
PM Modi had said, "It is heartening that Prime Minister of Bangladesh despite the fact that she is a woman is openly saying that she has zero tolerance for terrorism. I would like to congratulate Sheikh Hasina for her firmness to deal with the menace."
The PM was talking about cross-border terror from Pakistan and he meant the comment as praise for Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, with whom he vowed to combat terror jointly.
But many did not quite spot the praise. Women and some men have lambasted the Prime Minister on Twitter, calling the remark "sexist." There were over 500 tweets around the #despitebeingawoman at the time of writing this.
Political rivals found another opportunity to attack PM Modi, and did not waste time doing so in 140 characters.
The Prime Minister visited Bangladesh for two days over the weekend, during which he signed a host of deals including the Land Boundary Agreement. His last engagement was the address to the Indian expats.
He praised women in Bangladesh saying, "In terms of women empowerment Bangladesh has reached new standards. The Prime Minister, the Speaker, the leader of opposition, the leader of opposition political party, the Vice Chancellor (at Dhaka University) are all women."
Had this achievement belonged to any other country, it would have been applauded internationally, he had said, but since it had happened in a developing country, it was overlooked.
PM Modi had said, "It is heartening that Prime Minister of Bangladesh despite the fact that she is a woman is openly saying that she has zero tolerance for terrorism. I would like to congratulate Sheikh Hasina for her firmness to deal with the menace."
The PM was talking about cross-border terror from Pakistan and he meant the comment as praise for Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, with whom he vowed to combat terror jointly.
But many did not quite spot the praise. Women and some men have lambasted the Prime Minister on Twitter, calling the remark "sexist." There were over 500 tweets around the #despitebeingawoman at the time of writing this.
RSS ideology being showcased unknowingly by Modi,You can't run away from it ever. #DespiteBeingAWoman
Sheikh Imran (@iaslam52) June 8, 2015
Others wondered why the hashtag was trending - some argued that the #despitebeingawoman was demeaning for women.
What did @PMOIndia mean by #DespiteBeingAWoman? As if being a woman is some sort of pain/ burden/ sentence? Sincerely Indian (@SincerelyIndian) June 8, 2015
Political rivals found another opportunity to attack PM Modi, and did not waste time doing so in 140 characters.
At core, RSS/BJP are misogynistic, bigoted, chauvinistic and sexist. Narendra Modi is just another manifestation of it. #DespiteBeingAWoman
Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) June 8, 2015The Prime Minister visited Bangladesh for two days over the weekend, during which he signed a host of deals including the Land Boundary Agreement. His last engagement was the address to the Indian expats.
He praised women in Bangladesh saying, "In terms of women empowerment Bangladesh has reached new standards. The Prime Minister, the Speaker, the leader of opposition, the leader of opposition political party, the Vice Chancellor (at Dhaka University) are all women."
Had this achievement belonged to any other country, it would have been applauded internationally, he had said, but since it had happened in a developing country, it was overlooked.
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