Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s insensitive ‘joke’, at the expense of people with dyslexia, has sparked outrage and parents of children with special needs have taken to social media to make their anguish known.
Modi was interacting with students via video conference. When a student of University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun started to present her project by saying that it is based on the idea of dyslexic children who face learning difficulties and are creative, Modi mockingly asked if it will also help children who are 40-50 years old. “Will this also help children who are 40-50 years old?” Modi questioned and burst into laughter.
Parents of Children With Special Needs have spoken up on social media, condemning the PM’s insensitivity and lending support to each other’s voices. Several users are talking about the challenges that their children face, highlighting the grave nature of the PM’s remark.
Former MP Shahid Siddiqui tweeted a picture of her daughter who has autism, pointing out how she does the best she can to cope with learning disabilities.
My daughter Tania is a special person and I am proud of her,she is doing her best to coop with learning disabilities& I won’t allow anyone to look down upon her,however exalted that person may be. I fought for the rights of differently abled as a MP & continue to do so pic.twitter.com/iFU5oCR4cz
— shahid siddiqui (@shahid_siddiqui) March 3, 2019
One user shared her own experiences of living with dyslexia and said that Modi’s remark was “beneath the office” of the Prime Minister of India.
As some one who was diagnosed with dyslexia at 10, in India, long before films like taare zameen par arrived, I know how painful that process was.
— Suchitra Vijayan (@suchitrav) March 4, 2019
To use a student’s project on how to engage and educate people about dyslexia and leverage it to take political pot shots is beneath the office of the @PMOIndia.
— Suchitra Vijayan (@suchitrav) March 4, 2019
#Dyslexia Being a proud father of autistic teen son. Me and wife struggling to integrate him in the society and make him study, I have filed a complaint before the NHRC. Very disgusting that he mocks the children and their parents.
— Sundar (@sundarakr) March 4, 2019
My son too a special child….I really felt hurt by that insensitive joke n shameless laugh…I hate evryone who looks down at our kids with special need chahe koi bhi ho…#insensitivepm
— N qamar (@unme_24) March 4, 2019
Yes. I agree Sir. My only son has dyslexia. So we had lot of worry regarding his education until recently. Its only now he completed his studies that too abroad coz in India marks are everything @narendramodi @PMOIndia prob doesn't understand this condition. Lot of Indians don't.
— Dr Anjana Warrier (@warrier_anjana) March 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/AlwynDXB/status/1102494537954533377
Also Read: Dyslexic People May Be Slow in Learning But Not Heartless Like You: Siddaramaiah Slams Modi