If Nirmala Sitharaman’s anger is the only thing India is taking away from her press briefings, she should take a few lessons from Arun Jaitley and Sonia Gandhi.
As India goes for a free fall due to Covid and lockdown, insensitive would be too mild a word to characterise Modi government’s shameful handling of the crisis.
The private sector is struggling in defence because the Ordnance Factory Board and other Defence Public Sector Undertakings always get preference in India.
India has once again lived up to reputation of using a crisis to unleash difficult reforms. Nirmala Sitharaman has introduced bold reforms in holy cow sectors like agriculture and defence.
In 2021, the government allowed telcos to convert interest on deferred spectrum payments and AGR dues into equity. This made it the single largest stakeholder in Vodafone Idea.
New Delhi has, in past, too, objected to Chinese construction activities in Shaksgam Valley. Work in this strategic region gathered pace after the 2017 Doklam stand-off.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
The author is biased. How can he compare the FM with Sonia G. Sonia was instrumental for all scams, lack of administration for 10 long years continously having a puppet PM. Whereas Ms Sitaraman is hard working, sincere and honest. How many time Sonia has faced the press and that too with responsibilities on her shoulders? Too honest people sometimes talk very straight and blunt. She should avoid that and she should be receptive to all kinds of suggestions. Listening patiently is always required that too people holding responsible posts. She has to improve a lot in this regard.
I like how many people here are using a female-sounding psudo. Arrebhai, sitaraman-ji is the modern shikhandi – put in front to deflect arrows. that is all.
sonia gandhi was krishna – steering the chariot while manmohan singh’s arjun faught the good war.
While Albina Maino is Culturally awakened Mrs.Sitaraman is good at singing bhajans.
Sitaraman is clearly being setup as the sacrificial lamb. The government used to be run by 2 and 1/2 people – now only 2 remain. What can she do? she is being scapegoated by her bosses. Let us aim at the heart of the problem – the Gujarati psudo-bros – who are leading the country down the drain.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Sitaraman either. After all, Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Statesman either. Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Statesman either. Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
Zainab Sikander is obviously a stooge of Congress as she has foolishly compared Ms Nirmala to Sonia Gandhi in finance .While the finance minister is well qualified Sonia Gandhi has no inkling of the basic fundamentals of finance.
Also Zainabs comparison to Mr Jaitley is purely sexist remark as it tries to show that only men should be in a position of power.
Every coin has 2 sides, so does every govt , but Zainabs tirade against the BJP shows very clearly that she fails or rather conveniently prefers to turn a blind eye to whatever good reforms the present Govt has made.And the reason is very obvious.
Unfortunate justifying by saying woman are looked down for their talents; that doesnt justify the behavior FM Nirmala Seetharaman. Women in India appreciated of course our lady Indra Indra Gandhi, Mamata leading a party successfully and many more. This person setting bad trend for women; unfortunate she is in the wrong place, she should be in a party that can tame her.
Unfortunate justifying by saying woman are looked down for their talents; that doesnt justify the behavior FM Nirmala Seetharaman. Women in India appreciated of course our lady Indra Indra Gandhi, Mamata leading a party successfully and many more. This person setting bad trend for women; unfortunate she is in the wrong place, she should be in a party that can tame her.
Please do not make this about gender. Nirmala Sitharaman, even though she has all the necessary degrees, behaves like an illiterate person, in both her actions, and her words. This is not because of her gender. This is because of her personality. Anger in the right place and temper tantrums are very different. Greta Thunberg’s anger was and is in the right place. Nirmala Sitharaman? She makes a fool of herself all the time, in my opinion. This is not about gender.
Absolutely True Rithik. She smacks of arrogance and is brazenly incompetent to handle a ministry which runs the nation. She should be confined to women empowerment or forest conservation etc. And on what basis is she showing her arrogance – when she is incompetent.
Well said bro,good comparison too. Anger out of conviction and anger out of frustration are quite different.
Blame game is just an excuse and anger not the answer. I feel, they are just kicking ball one side to the other without dealing with the situation. In her interviews, she keeps repeating the same words. Hello ,,,, “we do hear you the first time”…and nothing is going to changes, if you going to keep repeating the same thing again & again. I strongly feel, we need to have her go through some anger management program. COVID 19 is out of control in India, we have climbed up the ranks from 45th place to TOP 10. The debate is not about COVID19, its all about who can flex their arms big. Its time for proactive young people to step up and start taking the political stage. We need to get the non-productive & useless ones out of our system. God bless us all.
A person erupts into angry retorts on three occasions, 1) When he / she is absolutely correct. 2) When he / she is trying to hide an act of error. 3) In arrogance of power. Judge for yourselves.
Mam ,you will have to repulse all the attacks which will be coming to destabilise the govt, as not a single anti government element will come forward to cooperate and bail out India. So please keep your cool and take positive steps.
Imagine if this was Amit shah who behaved angrily, and in a mean manner. People would have just cursed him, called him a jerk, criticised what he said, warned of impending doom. They wouldn’t be writing essays lecturing how you should act. That is only reserved for women
We need a finance minister who should be open to all suggestions.
I think due to lack of knowledge in financial matters she is facing hard time facing journalists.
Why to question her only, our PM never comes and addresses the press briefing and only do the monologue.
Monologue will not help but dialogue and communication will happen and face questions upfront.
I think it should be made mandatory for a PM to do press briefings as not holding such press interactions cannot be allowed.
Hate continues till the sufferings are with others and the hate mongers are not getting affected..Once the sufferings will be there with the concerned then india-pak in every thing will take a backstep and then the total scenario changes…This is the hard reality..By the way the tough times has knocked the door and let us see whether india-pak chants in everything will build the nation or devastate the nation rather than a concrete policy…For any policy and person to succeed and touch the heart of others discussion and taking opinion along with the criticism is quite important…
Nirmala Sitaraman is good and Modi at helm is the best whatsoever any Congi sycophant media writes or says doesn’t make much difference…the Print is one of them.
I am really sad that the present Finance Minister is not fit for the job. So was the late Mr Jaitley. India needs a more hands-on in-charge rather than novices. India cannot afford more goof ups. The government is already half way through its mandate and has very little to show. I truly hope the present government rebounds and shows its true colors. Otherwise, sadly we have to look for alternatives and definitely someone other than a Congress should surface up. Let’s think positively and hope this Government wakes up to it’s slumber and starts performing. A glass can be called half full only for some time.
BJP must select a empathetic FM or it is going to pay for it in the next election. This FM is like a school teacher and no smile on her face. When a neta speaks to the janata remember it is the bottom 1000 million poor you address. You need to start relating with them. Sitting on a gaddi in a ac room is too comfortable and feigns arrogance.
Modi has started his political path from the grassroots level and hope his team does not destroy his image.
Gadkari should be given the FM portfolio along with infrastructure.
Agree with many views here, this article is actually sexist. It is ironic it argues against the sexist approach but at the end follows the same by bashing her anger for denting modis image.
Also the article is not a factual. Ms. Seetharaman is most unqualified like her predecessor to hold this job. Apart from her early qualifications of education, she does not have any work experience relating to Indian economy or the global economy. She spent her entire career apart form the very brief stint in pwc in London, in womens rights, BJP spokesperson, etc.. How can anyone be qualified to hold this job without 20 to 40 yrs solid experience in Indian or global economics and banking ? Do you all realise that we need stalwarts in economics to become finance minister for such a large, complex country like ours ?, to formulate and deliver on policy initiatives.
And with such a background, everyone of us knew she will not be able to deliver. That’s is what is happening painfully over the last 1 yrs+. And this is where we have such a shallow journalism in this country. Endless discussion on form but zero discussion and debate on substance.
Seetgaraman is a classic case of ignorance and arrogance. I always thought she is not fit to be in finance ministry may be any other ministry where there is little interaction with press. She has to be polite and informative and witty but she just seems to be out of sorts. She is better off handling any other ministry. She has the finance and revenue secretaries by her side during press conferences which shows she can’t handle it independently and probably the actual thing be an idea of someone and she is just being given the script to read. Her recent five day 20 lakh crores packages seem exactly that way. It is better either she becomes calm and collective and be responsible to answer politely or may be take charge of other ministry.
You are absolutely spot on. Not only is she shamelessly incompetent, she has the audacity to even display her anger. From the very begining I kind of sensed she was a liability to such an importatnt post. SHe clearly has the right connections in teh BJP’s top echelons to get to this post. Instead of appearing humble she appears haughty and arrogant in her press briefings. As rightly said in this article she is percieved as an aunty or Tai as we say in Maharashtra for elderly people. She looses the plot totally. Example – When onion prices were soaring and upon being questioned she replies a la Queen Marie Antoinette – I am Jain. I do not touch onions. Is this a response from a minister even though it was not her ministry. She is an insult to the minstry and I hope BJP realize that.
Someone who talks so sycophantly about another person, Sitharaman about Modi in this case, loses the moral right to display any anger. This is my humble opinion.
You sre right sir.She is very sincere and we people do not care to admit that the centre is trying its level best in fighting Covid. The Print need not support it but can keep its mouth shut instead of printing adverse comments
Sitharaman is not only angry but is incompetent. She had to take back most of the new initiative on taxes during her maiden budget. She is very unimaginative and fussy. She lacks empathy and compassion. She is bad at public relations. She is burden to Modi. She should be removed immediately. Shivaraj Singh Chauhan would be best from BJP cader .
She is worst Finance Minister in the history of Indian Independence ..she is too irate all the time…she chosen people representative, not talk show category to show the anger..if she unfit to handle stress and tough question, she has resign with any dignity left with her..Modi govt has failed by getting useless bunch of jokers and buffoons for key portfolio..inlikely Leader itself are great drama artist…chaiwalaa, chowkidar title fooling the people.
Zainab Sikander is known Modi & BJP hater & never spare any thing to criticize Modi. The Print Editor has himself is hater of Modi & his entire brigade of Journalists has vowed to vent out their anti-Modi venom through Lies or Fake News till Modi is defeated. The print or its Journalist had any guts at any time to put question to Mamata Didi? Have they guts to put question to Family Party?
Nothing makes me more angry than to read articles like this. I hope someone from The Print team is reading this, because sexism is a grave issue; and opinions like this author’s are rationalising this. And while this is a free society, you choose the content you publish.
Public reaction to N. Sitharaman and media coverage is sexist – and also racist to South Indians: Do not tell women/ women leaders how to behave. I wish the author actually read the reactions in Twitter to see the reason why many people reacted to her before talking of N. Sitharaman’s “image”: some did because of the migrants but most comments had to do with her attitude, and not about the fact that she called it dramabazi. I read stuff like “apni hi hindi bolti hai”. I also refer to the most popular twitter reaction thread; https://twitter.com/srivatsayb/status/1261932282643771395 to this incidence, and the comments therein, it goes from “howling” to immediate comparisons with smrithi irani (why not male politicians who have said more odd things?). The reason women end up reacting unreasonably is because they have to put up with this nonsense all the time. The worst thing about this, is other women like this author are some of the first to point out
India has a shockingly long way to go with this, and more shockingly, no one calls it out in main stream. The point is if a man had said the same things, you wouldn’t be writing an article. Yes her message is insensitive, thats all you need to write. I repeat, do not tell women how to lead; and how to behave. A woman shouldn’t care how their “image” is. There have been many successful “angry” male leaders historically (Steve Jobs, Churchill, even Lincoln had a bad temper due to his depression, John Adams was more notorious). Leadership is of many kinds. It is by action that one judges it.
When there is an honest attempt to reply, or address a question, people can understand. But to come from a premise that all of you are fools, you know nothing is not correct. A deep contempt for others surfaces in her interactions.
I denounce what Sitharaman said, because trains in India were still charging for migrants, and government didn’t do enough in time. I also think it is right for people to be offended by insensitivity in the current time. It is this article’s premise that I have an issue with: to stereotype leadership, when there are examples of different types- and to do so only when a female leader fails. There are plenty of male counterparts I can think of who need the leadership lesson.
To me, if Nirmala Sitharaman’s anger is the only thing India is taking away from her press briefings, India needs a bit of self-reflection.
Well said. The anger should not be projected as just male attribute of.dominance. Anger comes from heart likewise as empathy. The unnecessary and under-performing decision of closing down to corner international praise is anti-economy, is some what evident from a finance minister’s perspective and her performance scoring, is the frustration causing the anger. Anger is the character of a leader, that makes execution aligned to vision and plan. The message from FM is very clear and she is doing great at such crucial time, when her hands are tied from behind.
Usually people who do not have an answer are the ones who get angry when questioned.
The two aspects which give any politician an upper hand is compassion and result. And in today’s politics both seem to be in a symbiotic relationship. Ministers at the center are judged by their competence and not by whether she a man or a woman. That comparison might work when at local level where women have to fight for their basic rights and that scenario is changing but when you are at the power center of the country nobody discriminates on the basis of caste, creed and sex, all that matters is deriving an outcome.
Every time a woman loses an election or any post there is always a larger conspiracy behind and it is related to male domination. When Hillary Clinton lost the election in 2016 there was a huge uproar by the liberals in America that people are intolerant towards women in power. This comes from a “Super Power”country and its citizens. At the end of the day people want results even if monkey gets it to them. Both the leaders had quite some dirty laundry with them , it was choosing the one with lesser.
Now coming to India one cannot forget Sushma Swaraj Ji, she was a tall leader who fiercely spoke and made an aura of her presence as the Leader Of Opposition (2009-2014). The point to note here is no one had to point towards her as the Opposition leader, the articulate speeches she made the opposition sweat. In 2004 when Sonia Gandhi’s name was doing the rounds for PM’s role she calmly said that she will give up everything and sleep on the floor and eat only channa if a foreign born person becomes the PM. The rest of the events which panned out however they might have Resulted in Sonia Ji not becoming the PM.
During her tenure in as the Minister Of External Affiairs she earned herself the title of the most Compassionate minister in the cabinet with helping so many Indians abroad and to top it all she gave numerous permissions to Pakistani individuals for medical treatment in India. One might ask it might have happened in the past too. The answer is yes, but not at this scale and definitely not in a quick timely manner especially with just a tweet. I really wish she was here with us now to help with the guest laborers stuck all over the country.
The above example of Sushma Swaraj Ji is to make sure that our view of a good politician is not blind sided by any bias. In her last stint she might not have really formulated any concrete foreign policy of her own but her compassion won hearts across the globe.
Lastly coming to Nirmala Ji. She had a short temper in most of the debates even before BJP came to power. I really wonder how the BJP choose their Spokesperson. The economy was in a spiral spin even before Covid pandemic, it is only growing worse each day. At this time we don’t just need a strong, FM we need a smart and patient one. People are loosing jobs left right and to centre. To tilt the field here MOS Finance is even more unaware that anyone in the Ministry. He is more incompetent than the FM. I am sure he would say by the end of 2021 we will be a 5 trillion economy and in 2024 we will surpass China. This long write up is just for the understanding that male domination card is not working anymore. Thank you for your patience.
As a society, it would be good for us to reflect if we are truly unbiased. I ask you to check how people reacted to her, what they said. The issue isn’t how center politics works, but the idea that Nirmala’s behaviour affects Modi Govt’s “image”. Its an issue is public perception that this article is about.. It’s easy to convince oneself that Hillary’s loss was not because of gender and equate Trump’s baggage with hers. They were not.
The idea of a calm leader is good one. It will help calm the nerves. But an angry leader who is constantly pushing for reform is also someone people can believe in,– if — they are effective. If govt said trains will run, and they run and people dont have to pay, would anyone care? Problem is trains were charging for fares and it was too late.
The politics at different levels keeps changing from Panchayat to the Central govt, the people you play with or team up with might change. People watch each and every move the politicians make. They also saw how questions pertaining to the core problems of the country are whisked off to the Secretaries ( who are doing a great job) but without a strong leader they’re a headless chicken whose not just out of the barn but entered a grave yard. Here comes leadership into play you take the question head on. I agree press conferences are long and take lot of your energy but you are in coveted position for the welfore of 1.3 billion. The energy to speak for 4 hours is nothing compared to the amount of time laborers have to endure, sometimes it is weeks.
The idea of effective leadership is a good one but does being aggressive give the dividends in the long run. Hitler was a strong aggressive leader but look where Germany ended up with wall in between. In today’s politics its all about staying calm, it even applies to general society as well.
I think there are many examples across the aisle. While pointing to Hitler you can’t ignore Churchill. And hitlers issues not his anger but racism and supremacy. One may want a calm leader, but I for one, want an honest one, one honest with words, actions and emotions. Anger can be authentic.
And evidence is in voting patterns in the world today. Why do you think Mamata Banerjee gets elected? It rallies people. Trump gets elected because he doesn’t give a damn what he says. If someone in Congress actually came out of Sonia Gandhi style mask, it would be better for them because majority of India actually doesn’t believe there is much to look for beyond the mask. Then, there are absolutely calm politicians doing absolutely nothing. There are effective temperamental politicians contemporarily too like Emmanuel Macron.
Calmness isn’t what generalizes politics and society. But that’s not even the point. I ask us to think about why and how that we react so much to women’s personality and not content? When modi, shah, yogi ji misbehave, we give gaalis. When a woman misbehaves, a journalist wants to lecture her with role models. Everyone hates sitharaman right now, so this article will get approval. But what it is trying to do is deeply concerning.
Honest is a virtue which the entire humanity like to have and keep for themselves. Honest person always has a conscience and chooses to do the right thing, but right and wrong is perspective of the individual. In the race to power sometimes it takes a backseat. In 2014 there was a promise to bring all the black money ,its 2020 we haven’t even got a can of black paint to cover such “chunavi jhmala” promises.
Mamata Di is an inspiration by herself, though some of her policies and actions are debatable. But the manner in which she defeated a party which had a stronghold in the state for three decades was inspirational. Thanks to you for pointing out her example she was always in the back of my mind. She is a classic example of a tall leader, in the past she might have protested for farmers over land for factories, which is yet again debatable. Shes has a habit of sidelining with her favorite civil servants but at the end of the day she is a leader whom people connect with. I have been in Kolkata for some time when she was in opposition. People liked her for a strong person she is. Once a leader is tall people tend to lokk up no matter her name, religion etc.. She might be calm but her grounded nature makes people see the human touch.
Anger itself is seen as content. Now the second step who is displaying that anger they start with their behavior in different situations. Nirmala ji is has tumbled the economy and much more is yet to come to add to this she is getting angry on opposition and calling them names for pointing out the flaws since beginning of her tenure. Mamata Di violently opposed Modi Ji and even called him a few names but nobody made a hue and cry, because silently people agreed and admired her courage. She is a woman too but the difference is there’s a lot of substance, dedication and heroism in her.
Tai is going all nuts. In simple Hindi Tai Ka bheja satkela. Tai should retire but the ambitious lust for power of these BJP cartoons is well known. Marte dum tak gaddi ki bhook rahegi. Look at Goa former CM. Budhau death bed par bhi BJP ke liye loyalty se jhoot bolta Raha. ? Dead in conscience. Pitiful.
Obviously the author has some personal grievance against the Finance Minister.After all Mrs.Sitharaman has the distinction of being the only junior Minister to be promoted first as Defense Minister and subsequently as Finance Minister to become a member of the elite policy planning Group of the Cabinet.And the Prime Minister recognises talent and competence.Her interventions in Parliament have been outstanding and she has received accolades from all her senior Cabinet colleagues and BJP functionaries.The Journalists known to me are appreciative of her knowledge of the subject portfolio and her willingness to answer questions.Probably her facility with the English language and the relative lack of eloquence in Hindi may not be to the liking of Hindi speaking only group.I would request the author to critically comment on the policies rather than make personal attacks.
What about the people who have commented and observed the behaviour of the minister and have criticized her. Are all of us wrong or is it that we have some axe to grind against her? All are wrong when it comes to pointing out the shortfalls of the ruling govt.
Her acerbic countenance, as if she has multiple nimboos for breakfast, doesn’t help either. Competence and demeanor are not just degrees but a whole managerial package. She clearly is severely deficient here and unsuited to assuaging the concerns of a jumpy nation.
ZAINAB SIKANDER has Pakistani mindset and uses anti-national Congress’s tactics in accusing and abusing BJP. Her arguments are political and support sinister propaganda of traitors and anti-nationals. She may be ISIS agent and should be investigated for links with anti-India forces.
Excellent and thorough critique of the article. Modi must be pleased with the fine minds his money is buying.
Lolz
😀
She is one of the best journalist I know. She has an opinion, everyone does and that doesnt make a person anti India. Learn to take criticism. Hopefully you will come out of this bhaktism when the economy crashes. Believe me friend we are almost there
Kashmiri Terrorists have also an opinion about India. So army should not kill them.
Yes if their opinion is within the constitutional framework and non violent, everyone has the right to have an opinion.
Opinion within the constitution is an old trick of the anti-nationals to justify their sinister plans. Hiding behind the constitution will not help anti-nationals who will be dragged out even from rat holes and put to judicial scrutiny if they are found indulging in anti-national activities like Delhi riots.
Please read The Indian Constitution.( Caution:- Don’t just google it and read four lines.) It is an invigorating book on our rights. Its the most humane book if you follow its principle. It was never a book to hide behind. It is a blessing you take around as a citizen of India. Who gave you the right to call anyone anti-national, just because your views are not the same. My dear friend there are some great books on nationalism after reading it you would realize what it really means. To give you a heads up it originated in Europe hundreds of years back due to certain reasons. Hopefully you would find it.
My friend you are influenced by Tv deabtes of a certain inclination. If anyone says the nation wants to know. You rhetorically say “yes we want to know but only the truth”.
Modiot spotted.
and so the hate continues…
Cannot agree more. Name of this writer says it all. Women in her clan do not exist at all. So they are jealous of Hindu intelligent FM.
Well said bro,good comparison too. Anger out of conviction and anger out of frustration are quite different.
The author is biased. How can he compare the FM with Sonia G. Sonia was instrumental for all scams, lack of administration for 10 long years continously having a puppet PM. Whereas Ms Sitaraman is hard working, sincere and honest. How many time Sonia has faced the press and that too with responsibilities on her shoulders? Too honest people sometimes talk very straight and blunt. She should avoid that and she should be receptive to all kinds of suggestions. Listening patiently is always required that too people holding responsible posts. She has to improve a lot in this regard.
I like how many people here are using a female-sounding psudo. Arrebhai, sitaraman-ji is the modern shikhandi – put in front to deflect arrows. that is all.
sonia gandhi was krishna – steering the chariot while manmohan singh’s arjun faught the good war.
While Albina Maino is Culturally awakened Mrs.Sitaraman is good at singing bhajans.
Sitaraman is clearly being setup as the sacrificial lamb. The government used to be run by 2 and 1/2 people – now only 2 remain. What can she do? she is being scapegoated by her bosses. Let us aim at the heart of the problem – the Gujarati psudo-bros – who are leading the country down the drain.
Send her back to a call center, she hasn’t got a clue to be fm
Dude, that’s your role.
Smells like Mansplaining.
do you even know what mansplaining means?
Garbage government use less Supreme Court
It is said ’empty vessels make much noise’. Current Finance Minister of our country is proving this saying amply.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Sitaraman either. After all, Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Statesman either. Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
The author may be partly correct. She did come off a bit aggressive. Honestly, none of us have any idea of the kind of challenges that she is currently facing. More than being a woman, it has perhaps a lot more to do with her being not a typical politician. Jaitley or even Sushma Swaraj had been in politics from a very young age. Sonia Gandhi cannot be compared to Statesman either. Mrs. Gandhi was only expected to read a few pages. No one expected her to answer any questions. I distinctly remember the time (2004) when very simple questions that were asked by the press to her were redirected to Dr. Singh. The present FM may not be a reputed economist like Dr. Singh, but she has done a reasonably good job. The country is witnessing a phase never before in the modern world especially after our independance. It will be a good idea for her to discuss with experts from within {including Dr. Singh, Pranabda, Dr. Swamy etc.) as well as those abroad (India well-wishers with deep understanding of Macro Economics) and then go ahead and take bold decisions. That’s the only way we could come out of this crisis.
Zainab Sikander is obviously a stooge of Congress as she has foolishly compared Ms Nirmala to Sonia Gandhi in finance .While the finance minister is well qualified Sonia Gandhi has no inkling of the basic fundamentals of finance.
Also Zainabs comparison to Mr Jaitley is purely sexist remark as it tries to show that only men should be in a position of power.
Every coin has 2 sides, so does every govt , but Zainabs tirade against the BJP shows very clearly that she fails or rather conveniently prefers to turn a blind eye to whatever good reforms the present Govt has made.And the reason is very obvious.
Unfortunate justifying by saying woman are looked down for their talents; that doesnt justify the behavior FM Nirmala Seetharaman. Women in India appreciated of course our lady Indra Indra Gandhi, Mamata leading a party successfully and many more. This person setting bad trend for women; unfortunate she is in the wrong place, she should be in a party that can tame her.
Unfortunate justifying by saying woman are looked down for their talents; that doesnt justify the behavior FM Nirmala Seetharaman. Women in India appreciated of course our lady Indra Indra Gandhi, Mamata leading a party successfully and many more. This person setting bad trend for women; unfortunate she is in the wrong place, she should be in a party that can tame her.
Please do not make this about gender. Nirmala Sitharaman, even though she has all the necessary degrees, behaves like an illiterate person, in both her actions, and her words. This is not because of her gender. This is because of her personality. Anger in the right place and temper tantrums are very different. Greta Thunberg’s anger was and is in the right place. Nirmala Sitharaman? She makes a fool of herself all the time, in my opinion. This is not about gender.
Absolutely True Rithik. She smacks of arrogance and is brazenly incompetent to handle a ministry which runs the nation. She should be confined to women empowerment or forest conservation etc. And on what basis is she showing her arrogance – when she is incompetent.
Well said bro,good comparison too. Anger out of conviction and anger out of frustration are quite different.
Blame game is just an excuse and anger not the answer. I feel, they are just kicking ball one side to the other without dealing with the situation. In her interviews, she keeps repeating the same words. Hello ,,,, “we do hear you the first time”…and nothing is going to changes, if you going to keep repeating the same thing again & again. I strongly feel, we need to have her go through some anger management program. COVID 19 is out of control in India, we have climbed up the ranks from 45th place to TOP 10. The debate is not about COVID19, its all about who can flex their arms big. Its time for proactive young people to step up and start taking the political stage. We need to get the non-productive & useless ones out of our system. God bless us all.
A person erupts into angry retorts on three occasions, 1) When he / she is absolutely correct. 2) When he / she is trying to hide an act of error. 3) In arrogance of power. Judge for yourselves.
She’s more like a kaam wali bai
nicely put
Mam ,you will have to repulse all the attacks which will be coming to destabilise the govt, as not a single anti government element will come forward to cooperate and bail out India. So please keep your cool and take positive steps.
Shut up you nit picker.
Imagine if this was Amit shah who behaved angrily, and in a mean manner. People would have just cursed him, called him a jerk, criticised what he said, warned of impending doom. They wouldn’t be writing essays lecturing how you should act. That is only reserved for women
We need a finance minister who should be open to all suggestions.
I think due to lack of knowledge in financial matters she is facing hard time facing journalists.
Why to question her only, our PM never comes and addresses the press briefing and only do the monologue.
Monologue will not help but dialogue and communication will happen and face questions upfront.
I think it should be made mandatory for a PM to do press briefings as not holding such press interactions cannot be allowed.
Pride will have a FALL.
Hate continues till the sufferings are with others and the hate mongers are not getting affected..Once the sufferings will be there with the concerned then india-pak in every thing will take a backstep and then the total scenario changes…This is the hard reality..By the way the tough times has knocked the door and let us see whether india-pak chants in everything will build the nation or devastate the nation rather than a concrete policy…For any policy and person to succeed and touch the heart of others discussion and taking opinion along with the criticism is quite important…
Nirmala Sitaraman is good and Modi at helm is the best whatsoever any Congi sycophant media writes or says doesn’t make much difference…the Print is one of them.
Sigh
I am really sad that the present Finance Minister is not fit for the job. So was the late Mr Jaitley. India needs a more hands-on in-charge rather than novices. India cannot afford more goof ups. The government is already half way through its mandate and has very little to show. I truly hope the present government rebounds and shows its true colors. Otherwise, sadly we have to look for alternatives and definitely someone other than a Congress should surface up. Let’s think positively and hope this Government wakes up to it’s slumber and starts performing. A glass can be called half full only for some time.
BJP must select a empathetic FM or it is going to pay for it in the next election. This FM is like a school teacher and no smile on her face. When a neta speaks to the janata remember it is the bottom 1000 million poor you address. You need to start relating with them. Sitting on a gaddi in a ac room is too comfortable and feigns arrogance.
Modi has started his political path from the grassroots level and hope his team does not destroy his image.
Gadkari should be given the FM portfolio along with infrastructure.
Agree with many views here, this article is actually sexist. It is ironic it argues against the sexist approach but at the end follows the same by bashing her anger for denting modis image.
Also the article is not a factual. Ms. Seetharaman is most unqualified like her predecessor to hold this job. Apart from her early qualifications of education, she does not have any work experience relating to Indian economy or the global economy. She spent her entire career apart form the very brief stint in pwc in London, in womens rights, BJP spokesperson, etc.. How can anyone be qualified to hold this job without 20 to 40 yrs solid experience in Indian or global economics and banking ? Do you all realise that we need stalwarts in economics to become finance minister for such a large, complex country like ours ?, to formulate and deliver on policy initiatives.
And with such a background, everyone of us knew she will not be able to deliver. That’s is what is happening painfully over the last 1 yrs+. And this is where we have such a shallow journalism in this country. Endless discussion on form but zero discussion and debate on substance.
Yes to this
Seetgaraman is a classic case of ignorance and arrogance. I always thought she is not fit to be in finance ministry may be any other ministry where there is little interaction with press. She has to be polite and informative and witty but she just seems to be out of sorts. She is better off handling any other ministry. She has the finance and revenue secretaries by her side during press conferences which shows she can’t handle it independently and probably the actual thing be an idea of someone and she is just being given the script to read. Her recent five day 20 lakh crores packages seem exactly that way. It is better either she becomes calm and collective and be responsible to answer politely or may be take charge of other ministry.
You are absolutely spot on. Not only is she shamelessly incompetent, she has the audacity to even display her anger. From the very begining I kind of sensed she was a liability to such an importatnt post. SHe clearly has the right connections in teh BJP’s top echelons to get to this post. Instead of appearing humble she appears haughty and arrogant in her press briefings. As rightly said in this article she is percieved as an aunty or Tai as we say in Maharashtra for elderly people. She looses the plot totally. Example – When onion prices were soaring and upon being questioned she replies a la Queen Marie Antoinette – I am Jain. I do not touch onions. Is this a response from a minister even though it was not her ministry. She is an insult to the minstry and I hope BJP realize that.
Someone who talks so sycophantly about another person, Sitharaman about Modi in this case, loses the moral right to display any anger. This is my humble opinion.
She does everything from heart.So,anger is a natural outcome.You are trying trying in vain to separate F,M from the Government and the party
You sre right sir.She is very sincere and we people do not care to admit that the centre is trying its level best in fighting Covid. The Print need not support it but can keep its mouth shut instead of printing adverse comments
Sitharaman is not only angry but is incompetent. She had to take back most of the new initiative on taxes during her maiden budget. She is very unimaginative and fussy. She lacks empathy and compassion. She is bad at public relations. She is burden to Modi. She should be removed immediately. Shivaraj Singh Chauhan would be best from BJP cader .
She is worst Finance Minister in the history of Indian Independence ..she is too irate all the time…she chosen people representative, not talk show category to show the anger..if she unfit to handle stress and tough question, she has resign with any dignity left with her..Modi govt has failed by getting useless bunch of jokers and buffoons for key portfolio..inlikely Leader itself are great drama artist…chaiwalaa, chowkidar title fooling the people.
Zainab Sikander is known Modi & BJP hater & never spare any thing to criticize Modi. The Print Editor has himself is hater of Modi & his entire brigade of Journalists has vowed to vent out their anti-Modi venom through Lies or Fake News till Modi is defeated. The print or its Journalist had any guts at any time to put question to Mamata Didi? Have they guts to put question to Family Party?
Nothing makes me more angry than to read articles like this. I hope someone from The Print team is reading this, because sexism is a grave issue; and opinions like this author’s are rationalising this. And while this is a free society, you choose the content you publish.
Public reaction to N. Sitharaman and media coverage is sexist – and also racist to South Indians: Do not tell women/ women leaders how to behave. I wish the author actually read the reactions in Twitter to see the reason why many people reacted to her before talking of N. Sitharaman’s “image”: some did because of the migrants but most comments had to do with her attitude, and not about the fact that she called it dramabazi. I read stuff like “apni hi hindi bolti hai”. I also refer to the most popular twitter reaction thread; https://twitter.com/srivatsayb/status/1261932282643771395 to this incidence, and the comments therein, it goes from “howling” to immediate comparisons with smrithi irani (why not male politicians who have said more odd things?). The reason women end up reacting unreasonably is because they have to put up with this nonsense all the time. The worst thing about this, is other women like this author are some of the first to point out
India has a shockingly long way to go with this, and more shockingly, no one calls it out in main stream. The point is if a man had said the same things, you wouldn’t be writing an article. Yes her message is insensitive, thats all you need to write. I repeat, do not tell women how to lead; and how to behave. A woman shouldn’t care how their “image” is. There have been many successful “angry” male leaders historically (Steve Jobs, Churchill, even Lincoln had a bad temper due to his depression, John Adams was more notorious). Leadership is of many kinds. It is by action that one judges it.
When there is an honest attempt to reply, or address a question, people can understand. But to come from a premise that all of you are fools, you know nothing is not correct. A deep contempt for others surfaces in her interactions.
I denounce what Sitharaman said, because trains in India were still charging for migrants, and government didn’t do enough in time. I also think it is right for people to be offended by insensitivity in the current time. It is this article’s premise that I have an issue with: to stereotype leadership, when there are examples of different types- and to do so only when a female leader fails. There are plenty of male counterparts I can think of who need the leadership lesson.
To me, if Nirmala Sitharaman’s anger is the only thing India is taking away from her press briefings, India needs a bit of self-reflection.
Well said. The anger should not be projected as just male attribute of.dominance. Anger comes from heart likewise as empathy. The unnecessary and under-performing decision of closing down to corner international praise is anti-economy, is some what evident from a finance minister’s perspective and her performance scoring, is the frustration causing the anger. Anger is the character of a leader, that makes execution aligned to vision and plan. The message from FM is very clear and she is doing great at such crucial time, when her hands are tied from behind.
Usually people who do not have an answer are the ones who get angry when questioned.
The two aspects which give any politician an upper hand is compassion and result. And in today’s politics both seem to be in a symbiotic relationship. Ministers at the center are judged by their competence and not by whether she a man or a woman. That comparison might work when at local level where women have to fight for their basic rights and that scenario is changing but when you are at the power center of the country nobody discriminates on the basis of caste, creed and sex, all that matters is deriving an outcome.
Every time a woman loses an election or any post there is always a larger conspiracy behind and it is related to male domination. When Hillary Clinton lost the election in 2016 there was a huge uproar by the liberals in America that people are intolerant towards women in power. This comes from a “Super Power”country and its citizens. At the end of the day people want results even if monkey gets it to them. Both the leaders had quite some dirty laundry with them , it was choosing the one with lesser.
Now coming to India one cannot forget Sushma Swaraj Ji, she was a tall leader who fiercely spoke and made an aura of her presence as the Leader Of Opposition (2009-2014). The point to note here is no one had to point towards her as the Opposition leader, the articulate speeches she made the opposition sweat. In 2004 when Sonia Gandhi’s name was doing the rounds for PM’s role she calmly said that she will give up everything and sleep on the floor and eat only channa if a foreign born person becomes the PM. The rest of the events which panned out however they might have Resulted in Sonia Ji not becoming the PM.
During her tenure in as the Minister Of External Affiairs she earned herself the title of the most Compassionate minister in the cabinet with helping so many Indians abroad and to top it all she gave numerous permissions to Pakistani individuals for medical treatment in India. One might ask it might have happened in the past too. The answer is yes, but not at this scale and definitely not in a quick timely manner especially with just a tweet. I really wish she was here with us now to help with the guest laborers stuck all over the country.
The above example of Sushma Swaraj Ji is to make sure that our view of a good politician is not blind sided by any bias. In her last stint she might not have really formulated any concrete foreign policy of her own but her compassion won hearts across the globe.
Lastly coming to Nirmala Ji. She had a short temper in most of the debates even before BJP came to power. I really wonder how the BJP choose their Spokesperson. The economy was in a spiral spin even before Covid pandemic, it is only growing worse each day. At this time we don’t just need a strong, FM we need a smart and patient one. People are loosing jobs left right and to centre. To tilt the field here MOS Finance is even more unaware that anyone in the Ministry. He is more incompetent than the FM. I am sure he would say by the end of 2021 we will be a 5 trillion economy and in 2024 we will surpass China. This long write up is just for the understanding that male domination card is not working anymore. Thank you for your patience.
As a society, it would be good for us to reflect if we are truly unbiased. I ask you to check how people reacted to her, what they said. The issue isn’t how center politics works, but the idea that Nirmala’s behaviour affects Modi Govt’s “image”. Its an issue is public perception that this article is about.. It’s easy to convince oneself that Hillary’s loss was not because of gender and equate Trump’s baggage with hers. They were not.
The idea of a calm leader is good one. It will help calm the nerves. But an angry leader who is constantly pushing for reform is also someone people can believe in,– if — they are effective. If govt said trains will run, and they run and people dont have to pay, would anyone care? Problem is trains were charging for fares and it was too late.
The politics at different levels keeps changing from Panchayat to the Central govt, the people you play with or team up with might change. People watch each and every move the politicians make. They also saw how questions pertaining to the core problems of the country are whisked off to the Secretaries ( who are doing a great job) but without a strong leader they’re a headless chicken whose not just out of the barn but entered a grave yard. Here comes leadership into play you take the question head on. I agree press conferences are long and take lot of your energy but you are in coveted position for the welfore of 1.3 billion. The energy to speak for 4 hours is nothing compared to the amount of time laborers have to endure, sometimes it is weeks.
The idea of effective leadership is a good one but does being aggressive give the dividends in the long run. Hitler was a strong aggressive leader but look where Germany ended up with wall in between. In today’s politics its all about staying calm, it even applies to general society as well.
I think there are many examples across the aisle. While pointing to Hitler you can’t ignore Churchill. And hitlers issues not his anger but racism and supremacy. One may want a calm leader, but I for one, want an honest one, one honest with words, actions and emotions. Anger can be authentic.
And evidence is in voting patterns in the world today. Why do you think Mamata Banerjee gets elected? It rallies people. Trump gets elected because he doesn’t give a damn what he says. If someone in Congress actually came out of Sonia Gandhi style mask, it would be better for them because majority of India actually doesn’t believe there is much to look for beyond the mask. Then, there are absolutely calm politicians doing absolutely nothing. There are effective temperamental politicians contemporarily too like Emmanuel Macron.
Calmness isn’t what generalizes politics and society. But that’s not even the point. I ask us to think about why and how that we react so much to women’s personality and not content? When modi, shah, yogi ji misbehave, we give gaalis. When a woman misbehaves, a journalist wants to lecture her with role models. Everyone hates sitharaman right now, so this article will get approval. But what it is trying to do is deeply concerning.
Honest is a virtue which the entire humanity like to have and keep for themselves. Honest person always has a conscience and chooses to do the right thing, but right and wrong is perspective of the individual. In the race to power sometimes it takes a backseat. In 2014 there was a promise to bring all the black money ,its 2020 we haven’t even got a can of black paint to cover such “chunavi jhmala” promises.
Mamata Di is an inspiration by herself, though some of her policies and actions are debatable. But the manner in which she defeated a party which had a stronghold in the state for three decades was inspirational. Thanks to you for pointing out her example she was always in the back of my mind. She is a classic example of a tall leader, in the past she might have protested for farmers over land for factories, which is yet again debatable. Shes has a habit of sidelining with her favorite civil servants but at the end of the day she is a leader whom people connect with. I have been in Kolkata for some time when she was in opposition. People liked her for a strong person she is. Once a leader is tall people tend to lokk up no matter her name, religion etc.. She might be calm but her grounded nature makes people see the human touch.
Anger itself is seen as content. Now the second step who is displaying that anger they start with their behavior in different situations. Nirmala ji is has tumbled the economy and much more is yet to come to add to this she is getting angry on opposition and calling them names for pointing out the flaws since beginning of her tenure. Mamata Di violently opposed Modi Ji and even called him a few names but nobody made a hue and cry, because silently people agreed and admired her courage. She is a woman too but the difference is there’s a lot of substance, dedication and heroism in her.
Tai is going all nuts. In simple Hindi Tai Ka bheja satkela. Tai should retire but the ambitious lust for power of these BJP cartoons is well known. Marte dum tak gaddi ki bhook rahegi. Look at Goa former CM. Budhau death bed par bhi BJP ke liye loyalty se jhoot bolta Raha. ? Dead in conscience. Pitiful.
Obviously the author has some personal grievance against the Finance Minister.After all Mrs.Sitharaman has the distinction of being the only junior Minister to be promoted first as Defense Minister and subsequently as Finance Minister to become a member of the elite policy planning Group of the Cabinet.And the Prime Minister recognises talent and competence.Her interventions in Parliament have been outstanding and she has received accolades from all her senior Cabinet colleagues and BJP functionaries.The Journalists known to me are appreciative of her knowledge of the subject portfolio and her willingness to answer questions.Probably her facility with the English language and the relative lack of eloquence in Hindi may not be to the liking of Hindi speaking only group.I would request the author to critically comment on the policies rather than make personal attacks.
Nee paapara punda mavan . Paapathuikku soothu kazhuvurae !
Amen to this
What about the people who have commented and observed the behaviour of the minister and have criticized her. Are all of us wrong or is it that we have some axe to grind against her? All are wrong when it comes to pointing out the shortfalls of the ruling govt.
Her acerbic countenance, as if she has multiple nimboos for breakfast, doesn’t help either. Competence and demeanor are not just degrees but a whole managerial package. She clearly is severely deficient here and unsuited to assuaging the concerns of a jumpy nation.
Rightly said
ZAINAB SIKANDER has Pakistani mindset and uses anti-national Congress’s tactics in accusing and abusing BJP. Her arguments are political and support sinister propaganda of traitors and anti-nationals. She may be ISIS agent and should be investigated for links with anti-India forces.
Excellent and thorough critique of the article. Modi must be pleased with the fine minds his money is buying.
Lolz
😀
She is one of the best journalist I know. She has an opinion, everyone does and that doesnt make a person anti India. Learn to take criticism. Hopefully you will come out of this bhaktism when the economy crashes. Believe me friend we are almost there
Kashmiri Terrorists have also an opinion about India. So army should not kill them.
Yes if their opinion is within the constitutional framework and non violent, everyone has the right to have an opinion.
Opinion within the constitution is an old trick of the anti-nationals to justify their sinister plans. Hiding behind the constitution will not help anti-nationals who will be dragged out even from rat holes and put to judicial scrutiny if they are found indulging in anti-national activities like Delhi riots.
Please read The Indian Constitution.( Caution:- Don’t just google it and read four lines.) It is an invigorating book on our rights. Its the most humane book if you follow its principle. It was never a book to hide behind. It is a blessing you take around as a citizen of India. Who gave you the right to call anyone anti-national, just because your views are not the same. My dear friend there are some great books on nationalism after reading it you would realize what it really means. To give you a heads up it originated in Europe hundreds of years back due to certain reasons. Hopefully you would find it.
My friend you are influenced by Tv deabtes of a certain inclination. If anyone says the nation wants to know. You rhetorically say “yes we want to know but only the truth”.
Modiot spotted.
and so the hate continues…
Cannot agree more. Name of this writer says it all. Women in her clan do not exist at all. So they are jealous of Hindu intelligent FM.
Well said bro,good comparison too. Anger out of conviction and anger out of frustration are quite different.
Sigh
sigh