In PM Narendra Modi's Facebook townhall bite, put-down for culture minister Mahesh Sharma

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi's comment at a Facebook townhall that India can't meet its economic and social goals if half its population is imprisoned at home is a clear put down for culture minister Mahesh Sharma who had controversially said that night outs for women wasn't part of Indian culture.

Modi said he believes in the power of women and argued if India expects to meet its economic goals, it can't be without women's participation. "We can't imprison 50 per cent of the population at home.There needs to be 100 per cent partnership between men and women," he said. He'd work to further education for girls, Modi said and cited his experience working on this issue as Gujarat CM.

The PM's comments should cap the controversy over Sharma's remarks that had led to speculation whether his cultural revisionism had the blessings of the government and the party as part of an RSS-mandated agenda.

Modi's remarks could be intended to differentiate BJP from saffron organizations that have taken it on themselves to force "Indian values" on people taking to violence on occasions such as Valentine's Day or targeting critics who are seen to "denigrate" Hindu culture. Cultural fault lines be tween BJP and its political and ideological opponents are sharp, running across areas like history , education, social traditions, interpretation of secularism and minority rights or, as the saffron camp would have it, minorityism.

On women's education and participation in the work force, Modi has unequivocally come out for a progressive view that sees women as equal and important participants in progress and key initiators of social change.

As CM, he had shown concern over Gujarat's sub-optimal results in women's education and commissioned projects and consultancies, often by private management experts, to recommend solutions. After becoming PM, he has accorded "beti bachao, beti badhao" priority as a programme.

On some other issues, Modi hasn't been reticent in taking on critics, suggesting at an Ireland event where shlokas were read out that such an event would have attracted secularist ire in India.