A significant controversy erupted after a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader called a Shinde Sena candidate contesting  the Mumbadevi Assembly constituency ‘imported maal’. The person targeted with the maal jibe is  a woman. While the leader has apologised, besides clarifying and claiming his statement was twisted, the firestorm has highlighted how important it is to choose words wisely.

For a while now, we have seen political leaders from across the spectrum using demeaning words when it comes to women. While they always claim to be misinterpreted and apologise when things escalate, one has to wonder why these slips of the tongue occur when they are talking about women. From ‘damaged goods’ to ‘painted women’ the slips seem to be never ending.