PM Modi calls Nirmala Sitharaman ‘first woman defence minister’; first was Indira Gandhi though

Agra, Jan 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, January 9, hit back at Congress president over the latter's allegedly sexist remark on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a rally in Rajasthan, earlier on the same day. Gandhi took a sharp dig at the prime minister at the rally saying the latter could not face the Opposition's question on the Rafale deal and despite being a man with "56 inch" chest, had to take shelter behind a woman to save him.

Defending Sitharaman during his speech in Agra, Modi hit back at the Opposition saying it insulted the woman defence minister. He said the defence minister exposed the Opposition lies and called the Opposition's attack on her as an insult to women empowerment for which it would have to pay a heavy price.

"A daughter of the country who became the defence minister of the country for the first time and for the first time, a woman is carrying out the duty of ensuring the security of a country of 125 crore people," Modi said while praising Sitharaman.

However, history says that Sitharaman is not the first woman defence minister of India. Former prime minister had served as the defence minister on two occasions: between November 30 and December 20 in 1975 and between 1980 and 1982 when she returned as the prime minister. However, India had for sure a population less than 125 million when Indira Gandhi was in charge of the country's defence.