This originally appeared in AJ+ Medium
Warning: Satire. The following includes direct quotes from India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, followed by a possible interpretation of his thoughts. Is Modi clueless when it comes to sexism or are his statements being misinterpreted?
1) After he was asked about malnutrition in his home state of Gujarat:
“The middle-class is more beauty conscious than health conscious — that is a challenge. If a mother tells her daughter to have milk, they’ll have a fight. She’ll tell her mother, ‘I won’t drink milk. I’ll get fat.”
August 29, 2012
2) In a comment to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prompting the hashtag: #DespiteBeingaWoman:
“I am happy that Bangladesh Prime Minister, despite being a woman, has declared zero tolerance for terrorism.”
June 8, 2015
3) Speaking to a group of farmers:
He proposed that farmers should give “drip irrigation” in place of dowry for their daughters.
January 27, 2003
4) Speaking to small businesses:
“If he (farmer) sells mango, he gets a little money. If he makes pickles, he makes more money. And if that pickle is packed in a nice bottle, he gets much more. If he puts the bottle in the hands of a girl for advertisement, he will get still more money.”
April 8, 2015
Lakshmi Sarah 