Smriti Irani writes a post on Facebook after spat on Twitter with Bihar education minister Ashok Choudhary of the Congress
Highlights
- Smriti Irani writes long post listing her achievements as HRD Minister
- She talks about breaking the glass ceiling as a TV actor and a politician
- Post after Twitter spat with Bihar Minister for addressing her as 'Dear'
In a long essay on women's empowerment, breaking the glass ceiling and how women are treated in the country, Smriti Irani has recounted her experiences and furnished a checklist of her achievements as union education minister.
The trigger for the minister's post on Facebook is her spat on Twitter two days ago with Bihar education minister Ashok Choudhary of the Congress, when she
took umbrage at his addressing her as "Dear Smritiji." Mr Choudhary had later "mumbled apologies," the minister notes, calling it her "near Jerry Maguire like moment."
Ms Irani, 40, has signed the post with a flourish - "Regards, Aunty National" - a reference to a controversial headline that a leading newspaper ran recently.
A debate raged over whether the Bihar politician's tweet to Ms Irani on Monday was sexist after the minister asked Mr Choudhary if it was good form to address a woman as "Dear."
In her Facebook post, Ms Irani talks about rebelling at every stage of her life and career against women being told to ignore attempts to humiliate them. "Why not respond? Why zip it? The standard answer such a question begets is 'It is not worth it.
Nuksaan tumhara hoga, ladke ka kuchh nahi bigadega (you will lose, not the boy)".
She has listed her achievements as a famous TV star, as a politician starting from the grassroots up and fighting the hard electoral battles - taking on Congress heavyweight Kapil Sibal in Delhi's Chandni Chowk and later Rahul Gandhi in his bastion Amethi - and talks about attacks on her on being appointed education minister. "You represent your Nation in the International Parliamentary Union, get unanimously elected to represent the Asia Pacific region, become part of the drafting committee on the Syrian crisis and yet some "intellectual" says "anpad" the minute you are given the opportunity to serve as HRD Minister."
She talks about being trolled, about inefficient colleagues ganging up "with other boys in the club" and says "the successful women always tell you that they continue to crack the whip."
Here is Ms Irani's full post on Facebook, shared almost 1400 times at the time of writing this: