Amruta Fadnavis’s singing and dance performances may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But why should that matter? And why should being the Chief Minister’s wife mean she cannot pursue her own interests? The trolling over her Garba remarks is equally misplaced. A wife is not obliged to mirror her husband’s politics, and a Chief Minister’s wife is not required to behave like a neighbourhood communal gatekeeper to prove her ideological credentials. We often talk about women’s independence, yet expect a politician’s wife to conform to his political image, as though she needs his permission to express herself. If anything, Devendra Fadnavis deserves credit for not stopping his wife from doing what she wants despite the criticism. The only legitimate grounds for questioning her activities in relation to her husband’s position would be if she were using his political influence, public funds or party funds to pursue them. Beyond that, people are free to disagree with her, but personal disapproval is not a political argument. And a wife does not have to be an extension of her husband’s worldview.