In early June, India woke up to a social media storm; the hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman was on the rise. A little probing was enough to find the cause. The country’s prime minister had made his first embarrassing gaffe. His attempt to praise Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on his visit to Bangladesh had sparked an outrage across the country.

This came soon after Nobel Prize winner Tim Hunt in his speech at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul said, “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry.” Female scientists took to Twitter to mock Hunt’s comment with the hashtag #DistractinglySexy.

Back home, Mr Narendra Modi, at an event hosted by the University of Dhaka, said, “I am happy that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, despite being a woman, is openly saying that she has zero tolerance towards terrorism. I would like to congratulate Sheikh Hasina for her courage to deal with terrorism with zero tolerance.”

Two opposite ends of the world and in both instances the men were criticised for their sexist comments; they met with the same fate.

Did Mr Prime Minister give the world’s worst compliment? Maybe yes, maybe no, but the statement was enough to spark a flurry of comments on Twitter turning the hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman into a trending topic on the social media platform on an early Monday morning. The rest of the week did not look good for the country’s prime minister as people tweeted sarcastic comments, criticised him and uploaded pictures of successful women.

In the past, Modi has carefully maintained a pro-woman image. He has often promoted campaigns against female indiscrimination. The Prime Minister has promised to uplift the condition of women in India; he is campaigning against female foeticide and wants to provide better educational and work opportunities for women.

For a man, who is considered to be one of the most eloquent politicians, this was his first dip into controversial waters. Modi’s backhanded compliment for calling Bangladesh’s leader tough generated negative response. Indians took to Twitter to show their disapproval against what is being termed as a sexual and chauvinist comment. He was accused of reflecting a patriarchal mindset and a typical approach towards gender stereotypes.

It cannot be denied that we are a part of a country that has more often than not been unfair to the fairer sex. But India has also seen accomplishments of female leaders and activists such as Indira Gandhi—the country’s first female prime minister. It is unfortunate that in an age where on one side women are being empowered, there are some men who still have a skewed outlook, whether at home or beyond. Be it science, technology, creativity or national and world politics, a woman’s contributions have been considered to be exceptional because according to the society, it is a man’s job. Women are merely walking in their territory, and therefore if they succeed, it must be a huge accomplishment for them. The traditional idea that a woman has no place in public still reverberates in our society. And therefore, it is disheartening to see that when some influential women have changed the course of history, the world still considers them to be weak and timid.

On the other side of the fence lies the looming question—did feminists and the media misinterpret the Prime Minister’s remark? Misogyny might not be new in Indian politics but did Modi actually mean to compliment Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for taking tough measures to fight the evils of terrorism? Supporters of Modi fought back with the hashtag #ModiEmpowersWomen, while referring to his efforts for women empowerment. But no matter how the statement is read, it cannot be denied that there is a trace of sexism in it. This might just be a case of poor choice of words, but maybe next time, Mr Modi needs to be careful of what he says, especially on an international platform.