Congress leader Rahul Gandhi outlined an ambitious vision for the grand old party, declaring that the mission is to achieve 50 percent representation of women as Chief Ministers within the next 10 years. Speaking at the ‘Utsaah’ Mahila Congress State Convention in Ernakulam, Kerala, Gandhi emphasized the importance of systemic change and aggressive measures for women empowerment.
“A good target for the Congress party would be if, in 10 years from today, 50 percent of our chief ministers are women. Today we don’t have a single chief minister who is a woman. But I know many women in the Congress party have the quality to be very good chief ministers. We have to ensure that at every level, there are more and more women in the organization, and this cannot be done through events,” stated Rahul Gandhi.
Highlighting the need for a significant shift in the political landscape to address discrimination, Gandhi emphasized that women face the most discrimination in the country. “There are no women in this room who are comfortable walking on the streets at night,” he remarked, underscoring the urgent need for women empowerment.
Aligning with the BJP’s stance on women’s empowerment, Gandhi called for an aggressive approach from the organization. “From the organization point of view, it is very important to be aggressive on women empowerment,” he asserted.
Taking a swipe at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP, Gandhi questioned whether women are allowed to share power in the RSS. He criticized the RSS as a “purely man-oriented organization” and highlighted the historical commitment of the Congress to women’s participation in governance.
“The central fight between BJP and Congress is about how women should be treated. Congress party has many women presidents and has PM women president because we fundamentally believe women should share power in the country,” Gandhi stated.
He also accused the RSS of dictating women’s choices, stating, “What women wear, what they do is the decision of her only. In the RSS, they decide what women should do and on what basis women should be respected.”
Rahul Gandhi concluded by referencing the Women’s Reservation Bill, acknowledging it as a significant step towards women empowerment but critiquing the delay in its implementation by the BJP-led government.
