There are glaring contradictions in the narrative of those who claim to be torch-bearers of liberal ideas. One of the aspects of liberal discourse is to deal with issues without getting personal about it. When it comes to describing women in public discourse, many are found lacking. Sexism prevails unabated. In this respect, the Congress is no different from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The treatment accorded to a woman is a matter of concern, especially when those in politics—which remains a male bastion—are subjected to daily sexism. One such figure is Smriti Irani: confrontational, outspoken and articulate, television superstar of yesteryears, cabinet minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet. We may agree to disagree with her pronouncement on various issues. Many of her statements are anti-women, but nothing justifies "sexist" comments to describe her.

Two years ago, when the Kolkata-based national daily of a certain repute, The Telegraph, carried a headline that stretched across the front page, "Mother India, at your service and ready for the supreme sacrifice, here comes..." What followed was in capital letters with font size that could only be justified in the case of a national calamity: "Aunty National". The issue covered was Irani’s intervention in the Lok Sabha debate on the Rohith Vemula suicide controversy.

"Aunty national" is nearly a homonym to "anti-national", a term that was liberally used to describe all those who questioned or defied the government of the day. In that sense, some would argue, it was an intelligent headline. But it was outrightly sexist, for the word "Aunty" is a colloquial term to describe a woman past her prime, with accumulated fat on her body, sort of dealing with midlife crisis.