'Dear' controversy: Smriti Irani lashes out at detractors, says successful women will continue to crack the whip

Following a twitter tiff with Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary over being addressed as 'dear' by him, Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani has hit back at the former with an open letter signed as 'Aunty National' on her official Facebook page while throwing light on the struggles faced by women in the country.

"As those who scream murder and whip themselves up into a feminist frenzy at the drop of a hat tried to 'endear' themselves to me on Twitter, I reflected on the near “Jerry Maguire” like moment that was upon me," Irani wrote on Facebook.

From giving an account of her achievements as a television star, Irani also wrote about her hard political battles. Irani also laid emphasis on the initiatives taken by her after taking charge of the HRD Ministry.

"So while many working women battle this challenge in confined working spaces, I spat it out on twitter for my office travels with me. But then there are some who say why talk about yourself at all, surely one day they shall realise the amount of work you have done," she added.

Listing the achievements, she added, "So to those girls walking with their heads down, look up and speak up; those women cracking the whip in their offices and asking their counterparts to finish the work assigned in the time frame prescribed, lead on. As for me, next time you blog – remember the sagely advice given when you joined politics, till you don’t have your own coterie of journalists, don’t expect support to come pouring in through editorials “kyunki nuksaan tumhara hoga unka kuch nahi bigdega.” 

Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary had on Monday firmly stood his ground on the issue of addressing Union HRD Smriti Irani as "dear" and cited several references, including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the word to address singer Asha Bhosle.

Choudhary also posted on his Twitter account, a letter written by Union minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya to Irani using "dear", and accused her of "double standards" on this count.

"Dear .@smritiirani ji, कभी राजनीति और भाषण से वक़्त मिले तो शिक्षा निति की तरफ भी ध्यान दें"

— Dr. Ashok Choudhary (@AshokChoudhaary) June 14, 2016

Not to disrespect but educate... Professional emails start with "dear". @smritiirani Ji Kabhi mudde pe jawab dijiye, don't circle around it.

— Dr. Ashok Choudhary (@AshokChoudhaary) June 14, 2016

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