This refers to D P Ghatak's letter "When women win" (June 10). It is difficult to think of a braver or more futile attempt to defend the indefensible. There is no denying the fact that even today the odds are stacked against the fairer sex for various reasons and every effort must be made to empower women. However, there is a world of difference between a drawing-room conversation and a public address delivered by a dignitary. It was downright patronising of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to applaud the success achieved by his Bangladeshi counterpart, despite the gender disadvantage. How would Modi have liked, let the writer ask himself, if Sheikh Hasina were to return the compliment with a reference to Modi's humble "chaiwallah" background?
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated instance of the Indian Prime Minister's indiscretion. On two earlier occasions, both on foreign soil, he slammed the previous government for corruption and later, he outrageously claimed that earlier (in the pre-Modi era, presumably) one felt ashamed of having been born an Indian. The only charitable explanation I can think of is that too much travel is perhaps taking its toll. The writer will do well to recognise that a true leader must be able to stand up to the searchlight of public scrutiny and not look for places to hide, to use his own unappetising analogy.
Parthasarathy Chaganty Mumbai
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