A man can abuse, threaten, insult, and humiliate someone in public and still be called aggressive or politically formidable. A woman using the same language can trigger a debate about culture. Suddenly, the woman herself becomes the subject. That contradiction seems to be the heart of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Pune after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments about the “cultural shock” of young women protesters using abusive language at Jantar Mantar.

Politics may have triggered the argument. But our society has been writing its script for generations. Why does behaviour that barely registers when performed by men become a cultural crisis when performed by women?

Freedom With Conditions

The answer lies deeper than one protest or politician. India has created laws and institutions for women, but social permission remains conditional. A woman can speak, dissent, dress differently, pursue a career, choose her partner or assert sexual autonomy, yet every choice can invite judgement. Her freedom comes with invisible terms and conditions.

The policing begins with speech and thought. A boy who speaks bluntly may be called confident. A girl who refuses to soften her views can quickly become arrogant or badly brought up. Men can be profane in politics and admired for their toughness. Women are asked to explain their tone before anyone addresses their argument. A strong-opinion woman can be labelled difficult before anyone engages with what she thinks.

This double standard is particularly grotesque in politics. Indian political discourse has been deteriorating into........

© Free Press Journal