'Aap Jaisi Cheez...': Smriti Irani Recalls 'Congress Leader's' Sexist Comment And How She Tackled It

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani shared her experiences of being labelled 'arrogant' for defining boundaries. She recalled an incident where an ex-minister made a sexist remark about her weight.

In a YouTube podcast, 'Top Angle', Smriti Irani talked about how people would label her 'arrogant' if she set boundaries.

Source : PTI

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani in a podcast said that as a woman she has had to face snide remarks from many people, which led some to believe that she was arrogant. Recalling one such incident during a YouTube podcast, 'Top Angle', she said that a former foreign minister of India had made a sexist remark towards her at an event at the house of former Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

Smriti Irani said that women are often labelled as "arrogant" if they ask men not to stand too close to them, or refuse to call someone late at night, or decline party requests. Recalling one such incident, Smriti Irani said: "During the UPA regime, I attended a book launch at then Vice-President Hamid Ansari's place. I was an MP then. I was standing with his daughter [Nuriya Ansari]. Suddenly, a top Congress leader, who previously served as an External Affairs Minister, walked up to me and said 'Aap jaisi cheez ko haq nahi ki aap apna wazan badha lein [things like you have no right to increase your weight]'."

She hit back at the highly sexist comment, saying: "Aap jaise log na dekhe isiliye wazan badhaya jata hai [We gain weight to keep the eyes of people like you off us]'." She said in the podcast that when she said this, she was dubbed as "arrogant" and she was fine with it because she is disciplined.

"I used to be this disciplined even when I was an actor. I wouldn't go to parties. I would return home after shoots and take care of my kids and the household... My career worked well without going to parties," she said.

She was talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi being highly disciplined in his approach towards work. "Had PM Modi been not disciplined, we wouldn't have been safe during Covid. He is not rude. He is clear in his mind about the work. He wants to devote all his time to the country. He hates sycophants," Irani said.