It was meant to be a compliment but it seems to have gone sour. As he concluded his two-day visit to neighbouring Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised his counterpart Sheikh Hasina for her courage in fighting terrorism "despite being a woman".

"We know solution for everything, but not terrorism," the Prime Minister is reported to have said in his hour-long address to Dhaka University. "I am happy that Bangladesh Prime Minister, despite being a woman, has declared zero tolerance for terrorism."



Even though the remark was meant to be a gesture of praise, social-media users interpreted it as an insult to women around the world. Back home, Twitter started buzzing with tweets attached with pictures of women achievers of India: scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation, foreign ministers, sportswomen and more.

This isn't the first time an Indian politician has made a sexist comment. In 2012, Narendra Modi found himself in a similar situation when he attacked Congress politician Shashi Tharoor at a rally with an insult against his late wife Sunanda Pushkar. Modi referred to Pushkar as a "50 crore ki girlfriend".

"Wah kya girlfriend hai," he said. "Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?" What a girlfriend! Have you ever seen a Rs 50-crore girlfriend?

Here's a selection of reactions on Twitter as the hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman trended.