Village Council Accused of Ordering Rape

Due to its prevalence in the media as of lately, rape and India have unfortunately been linked together. on Monday, there was yet another case of rape. A young woman in West Bengal had accepted an exogamous marriage proposal in which the panchayat (village council) had--to put it lightly--responded unkindly. Since this was an intercaste marriage, the village council had initially asked the woman's family to pay a fine of 27,000 rupees ($447), but when the family refused to pay, the village chief, Balai Mardi, ordered villagers "to enjoy her," according to one of the police officers. The young woman was then repeatedly raped in Mr. Mardi's hut. Since Monday, there have been 13 arrests made in the case despite the village chief's threat of burning down her house if she were to call the police. One of the leaders from a nearby village named Sunil Soren made sure to comment that they "respect [their] women a lot," but this was an "objectionable situation" because events like this "pollute the minds of youngsters."

1. Do you think endogamy perpetuates caste stratification or preserves a way of living and creates social order?

2. Do you think intercaste marriages should be allowed on the basis of your answer prior question?

Rahul Gandhi's Plan for India by Focusing on Women and Youth

Rahul Gandhi (no blood relation to Mohandas), the great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, has stated that he is confident that he will win the seat of prime minister in India's upcoming elections. In one of his first interviews ever-despite having engaged himself in politics for around ten years already-Gandhi criticized one of his opponents and clarified some of his own beliefs. Narenda Modi, a leader of an opposition party facing Gandhi's India National Congress Party, was accused by Mr. Gandhi for instigating anti-Muslim riots in 2002, which ultimately claimed the lives of over 1,000 Muslims. A statement such as this surely indicates where Gandhi intends to lead a country that is plagued by corruption and inequality. He said in the interview: "I don't like unfairness. It just makes my blood boil. I don't like it. And in whatever I did, if I saw unfairness, I would stand up against it. That's the heart of my politics." Yet, when questioned about his family's "political dynasty," he responded that one cannot simply remove a political dynasty by wishing it away. Rather, he believes that government must be made more open so that new players can enter the political field. Gandhi stated that he plans on doing this by focusing on the empowerment of women and young people, repairing India's recent and relatively sluggish economic growth, attacking corruption, and bolstering social welfare programs. 

1. How do these political claims affect women?

2. Do you think that government focus on the topics Rahul Gandhi mentioned will better India as a whole?