"Dear @smritiirani, dear @narendramodi is not following your prescribed protocol regarding the usage of 'dear'," tweeted the handle Truth of Gujarat (which is manned by a bunch of activists who continue to fight for justice for the victims of the 2002 riots), which was promptly retweeted by hundreds, including Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. June 14: Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani today sparred with Bihar education minister Ashok Choudhary over being addressed as "Dear" on Twitter. "@smritiirani Madam, Had you went to college/University you would know that it's a common practice to address people as 'Dear'," tweeted Saral, whose Twitter bio says he is a student. Irani shot back in less than 10 minutes: "@AshokChoudhaary mahilaon ko 'dear' keh ke kab se sambodhit karne lage Ashokji?" Request you to deliver on what you have promised," Choudhary tweeted back.

Source: The Telegraph June 14, 2016 21:45 UTC