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?
1. Rahul Gandhi has said that he wants to help empower women to succeed in life which is a great thing for Indian women to hear. However, these are only words, which do not speak louder than actions. Many politicians have promised great things for women only to rescind their promises once they enter the setting of public office. If Gandhi backs up his words, then this action is monumental for women all across India. The article doesn't say how he will make these changes which could possibly mean that he has no intentions of fighting for women's rights and just wants their support.
ReplyDelete2. The changes that Mr. Gandhi has said he will implement will help India as a whole as the government is very corrupt to say the least. Changing this would help change the corruption in the police and make India a much better place to live in general
ReplyDeleteLike all other politicians, Rahul Gandhi has made some great promises, but whether his words will turn into concrete actions or merely stay as words is still unknown. One hope that Gandhi does seem to offer is the empowerment of women. While many politicians—especially the rural ones that we read about in May You Be a Mother of a Hundred Sons—did not even care about women's issues, Rahul Gandhi recognizes that this is a problem. However, if he is merely using this to get votes and does not plan on implementing his ideas, the plight of women will remain unchanged. Instead, I think that a more concerted effort involving multiple parties, not just the prime minister, is required. The topics he mentioned would definitely help India improve its conditions as he seems to want to do a work of justice by preparing the youth to stop corruption. Indeed, unfairness is the biggest issue Indians face, whether it be women, lower castes, or merely common people who are cheated by corrupted government officials. If Gandhi takes the proper steps to reduce this inequity, justice may be better served to all individuals.
1. Gandhi is working toward empowering women and help them succeed in life. The only issue with this is that most of india does not feel the same way. These are just his words so it will probably have minimal political effect and because of that women's issues in india will still not be addressed.
ReplyDelete2. Yes I think that it will better india as a whole and allow india to earn more respect on the world stage. I also think that indians would gain the most if this became law as they would be the ones that benefit from fixing a women's issue.