Lalu Prasad

There can be a number of different ways to look at the controversy that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj finds herself in. It can be argued that she wrote a letter to the UK authorities in support of Lalit Modi’s travel on humanitarian grounds or that it is indeed a case of favouritism and impropriety.

Lalu Prasad, however, has the most bizarre take on the entire episode. On being asked for his comments at a recent press meet, he said that Swaraj should not be pestered because she is a woman. While the politicians of India’s cow belt are not really known for their commitment to gender equality, this takes things a bit too far. Such an absurdly patronising tone is offensive to all women and not just Swaraj. By Lalu’s logic, each and every woman politician should be given blanket protection regardless of what she does or says.

While Lalu might pass it off as a spur-of-the-moment remark, his words certainly do seem to indicate a patriarchal mindset that looks at women as property to be both controlled and shielded. The truth is that Sushma Swaraj or any other woman politician—bar some like Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi, perhaps—do not need someone like him to be their political knight in shining armour. They can manage very well on their own mettle.

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