‘A cup of Tea with Women Politicians’

 

‘A cup of Tea with Women Politicians’

 

“Politics isn’t like a 9-5 job! It is about passion, dedication and people!” These are the words of Beenaben-Mayor of Jamnagar. As a 10^th grader, I have been reading about decentralisation and women’s participation in local governments.  73^rd amendment not only gave more power to the local government but also helped to inculcate the habit of political participation. One of the salient features is 50% reservation for women and as usual, there have been differing opinions regarding such affirmative actions. Class discussions stimulated my interest and I decided to interview women elected members. I managed to get appointments of mayor of Jamnagar city and Sarpanch of Vibhapar village.  

Both the women leaders lead busy lives and I got to observe their engagement with people who came to meet them for work.  Gitaben , Sarpanch of Vibhapar had started off as a volunteer in various projects in her village about 28 years ago . Beena ben , our mayor has been in the public sphere for the past 13 years. Contrary to the assumption of some of my friends, their husbands didn’t hail from political backgrounds.  However, fortunately their families always encouraged them to follow their hearts.  Geetaben said, “One should have genuine desire to resolve issues. Politics is not about power only.” 

While discussing their careers, I realised that in politics, there are some days with high level of excitement and some are full of challenges. Geetaaben narrated her recent ordeal during flood situation in Jamnagar district. As the villages along with Power Station were submerged under water, she lost a family member.  While water was mercilessly entering into houses of the villagers, power got cut. The rain was incessant and her phone would not stop ringing. She lamented, “One feels helpless in times like those but, it is important to keep doing what you can!”   

Mayor Beena ben also said, “People expect that problems should get resolved quickly and they are right to some extent. However, practical realities are different. It takes time, deep analysis and inter departmental coordination.”  She added that when people come together, impossible tasks are achieved. Jamnagar’s vaccination drive has been quite successful- a whopping 97% of vaccinated population has got vaccinated so far. Since the beginning, the city topped in the country as far as vaccination was concerned.   

Under the leadership of Geetaben, Vibhapar has a strong 10 women panch team for the first time. “It’s probably the most significant achievement so far,” she opined. Both of them admitted that they are workaholic. Both of them emphasised that the change is happening at all levels, but mentioned that they still come across people who hold stereotypical views about women. 

My last question was, “What would your advice be to the women willing to come into politics?” From Beenaben’s smile, I conjectured that this must be a question that many would have asked. Nevertheless, she replied, “I have seen young women preoccupied with fashion and social media.” I chuckled awkwardly, feeling guilty. “It shouldn’t be overlooked but all your time and energy must not be consumed by these things.” Geetaben, too, emphasised the need for passion to bring change and consistent efforts to lead a socially active and relevant life. She accepted that the journey might be precarious but not impossible. We need more women’s representation and participation in every field including politics.  

Sure, women have been breaking the glass ceilings in every field and Member of Parliament from Jamnagar constituency is also a woman. She is immensely popular and therefore, it would be interesting to have an interaction with her to get a sense of what it takes to represent one of the largest constituencies in the parliament.