Indian Parliament isn’t the friendliest place for women. Nine out of ten seats in both the houses are occupied by men. Among the women members, few are in positions of power in the government. Smriti Irani is one of them.
On Monday, the 38-year-old minister for human resources stood up to intervene as Sharad Yadav, the Janata Dal (United) leader, launched into another round of sexist comments on savali or dark-skinned women. Irani appealed to him to stop. She used civil language but got abuse in return. Yadav turned around and said, "Kaun hain aap? Ye aap kya hain, main jaanta hoon. " Who are you? I know what you are.
Inexplicably, the speaker of the house did nothing more than declare that he could not allow the discussion to continue.
A day after the Indian Parliament allowed a male politician to insult his woman counterpart, an international forum has honoured her. The World Economic Forum has selected Irani as a Young Global Leader. Every year, the organisation, best known for its high powered annual meet at Davos, which brings together big business and governments from around the world, selects a group of “exceptional individuals under the age of 40” as Young Global Leaders.
This year, 187 people have made it to the list. 10 of them are Indian. Among them, Smriti Irani is the only politician. Sharing the honour with her are other women political leaders: Safak Pavey, the first disabled woman elected to the Turkish parliament; and Japan’s youngest elected female mayor, Naomi Koshi.
The award in itself is not very significant but it comes as a well-timed rebuke to those who respond to a woman’s success with malicious insinuations. Strikingly, and unsurprisingly, on social media, it was women who spoke up most strongly against Yadav's abusive behaviour.
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On Monday, the 38-year-old minister for human resources stood up to intervene as Sharad Yadav, the Janata Dal (United) leader, launched into another round of sexist comments on savali or dark-skinned women. Irani appealed to him to stop. She used civil language but got abuse in return. Yadav turned around and said, "Kaun hain aap? Ye aap kya hain, main jaanta hoon. " Who are you? I know what you are.
Inexplicably, the speaker of the house did nothing more than declare that he could not allow the discussion to continue.
A day after the Indian Parliament allowed a male politician to insult his woman counterpart, an international forum has honoured her. The World Economic Forum has selected Irani as a Young Global Leader. Every year, the organisation, best known for its high powered annual meet at Davos, which brings together big business and governments from around the world, selects a group of “exceptional individuals under the age of 40” as Young Global Leaders.
This year, 187 people have made it to the list. 10 of them are Indian. Among them, Smriti Irani is the only politician. Sharing the honour with her are other women political leaders: Safak Pavey, the first disabled woman elected to the Turkish parliament; and Japan’s youngest elected female mayor, Naomi Koshi.
The award in itself is not very significant but it comes as a well-timed rebuke to those who respond to a woman’s success with malicious insinuations. Strikingly, and unsurprisingly, on social media, it was women who spoke up most strongly against Yadav's abusive behaviour.
Sharad Yadav dismisses Smriti Irani by saying he knows what kind of a woman she is. Well he was really telling us what kind of a man HE is.
— rama lakshmi (@RamaNewDelhi) March 16, 2015Sharad Yadav n his ilk are not the protectors but persecutors of women He had no business to insult Smriti Irani he must apologise
— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 17, 2015Unacceptable disgusting remark by Sharad Yadav to @smritiirani . He must withdraw it and unconditionally apologise immediately.
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) March 16, 2015No shades of grey but his true 'colours'- Sharad Yadav exposes his crude sexism with @smritiirani with his "I know what you are" nonsense
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 16, 2015First his sexist remarks about dark women and now Smriti Irani. Sharad Yadav doesn't belong in the House of Elders !
— sonia singh (@soniandtv) March 16, 2015Speaker inaction inexplicable. RT @firstpost: Sharad Yadav to Smriti Irani in RS: We know what kind of woman you are.
— Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) March 16, 2015