Empowered Women, Priyanka Gandhi and the new Indira
The day of coronation appears to be coming closer…The machinery seems to be working full-time to establish the dynasty in the “hearts and minds” of the people of India.
First you had the “celebrations” around the Prince’s coming of age. Last week we witnessed the pleasing face of the late patriarch beaming from hoardings, posters and advertisements in newspapers…Today, I was alerted to this painstakingly compiled photo album, courtesy NDTV that talks of (emphasis added):
“Priyanka’s aura…that definitely cannot be ignored
Wait there is more…
Her poise and elegance coupled with her settled attitude, one that sets her apart from all others who hail from political families, is what makes her a truly radiant personlaity..(sic)
Read Sudhir Kumar’s dissection of the piece here.
If you thought this was a just stray report by a junior, over-enthusiastic reporter (working without the help of a sub-editor and possibly without a word-processing software), you may be mistaken…Here is an excerpt from another report from a few days back that went largely un-noticed (emphasis added):
A member of India’s pre-eminent political family and the wife of India’s richest man and a businesswoman in her own right will join two high-powered woman politicians as the new brand ambassadors of the adult literacy programme if the human resource development ministry puts its plan into action.
According to the blueprint prepared by the ministry earlier this week, Priyanka Vadra, daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi; Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani and co-owner of Mumbai Indians; Supriya Sule, member of Parliament (MP) and daughter of agriculture minister Sharad Pawar; and M. Kanimozhi, MP and daughter of Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi; will be approached for key roles in “Saakshar Bharatâ€, which will have a specific focus on women.
A senior official in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (requesting anonymity) said:
Priyanka (Vadra)…is a symbol of empowered women…
Pity they could not look beyond politicians…and disappointing that no one thought of Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Saina Nehwal, PT Usha, Bacchendri Pal etc etc …or indeed, one of the truly empowered women in history.
No wonder estranged cousin Feroze Varun Gandhi feels compelled to draw attention to his lineage.
I have been saying this for the past few years now (in private) – and at the risk of putting my foot in the mouth – I will say it aloud today…the stage is being prepared for the real monarch…
Ladies and Gentlemen, Hail the Queen…
P.S. I realise I may have burdened my readers with an overdose of the “dynasty” in the last few days. So unless something truly exceptional happens that demands my attention, not another word on the “family” for at least the next two months. I am certain we have far more critical issues to worry about. Comments and thoughts welcome, as always.
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Rajiv Gandhi, Ministry of Food Processing and a sense of history
In another NDTV program (debate regarding EVM’s) ; Burkha Dutt made a rare ‘cameo’ role as a ‘pro-establishment’ person.
Shantanu’ji very easy to bring in public focus on Priyanka by spending 6k cr, anyway the rest of the team are the current partners in proliferation and also needs to be promoted for their respective parties, nice plan. Maybe Nita can access an Lok Sabha seat, good for business. Priyanka is empowered through dynasty which has imbalanced the fabric of this Nation, hence she deserves it. The rest scores of reasons. AS you mentioned we need to wait and watch the progress. Accepting we have many ladies who are role models, Kiran Bedi, et al.
For the last few years NDTV & other MSM has been behaving as if they are slaves for the Queen..Shame on these journalists/media to do such reporting.. Wake up from slumber Bharath Vaasi…Jai Hind..Vande Mataram
She may end up doing a better job than most other politicians.
As long as she’s competent, I don’t really care whose daughter she is or what her name is. If the people want her, she’ll come to power. The same goes for Rahul Gandhi. They won’t be forced down our throats…
Bhag,
“She may end up doing a better job than most other politicians.”
Please state your reasons.
“As long as she’s competent, I don’t really care whose daughter she is or what her name is”
She has already showed her proof of competency ( nalini jail episode)
“If the people want her, she’ll come to power. The same goes for Rahul Gandhi. They won’t be forced down our throats…”
This media charade is another way of forcing them down our throats.
Shantanu,
"Kuchh farak nahi padega". What did her family members achieve so far? They were parts of meriad so-and-so scheme. What did mamma dear achieve so far despite several lectures about food security in villages?Mr. Park,
As long as she’s competent, I don’t really care whose daughter she is or what her name is. If the people want her, she’ll come to power. The same goes for Rahul Gandhi.The question here is not about competence. The question is about calling her the “empowered women” when we had so many non-political empowered women in our midst.
They won’t be forced down our throats…– Ooopsss!!! Really? Where are you in last sixty years? Sleeping with Rip Van Winkle?==>
“Really? Where are you in last sixty years? Sleeping with Rip Van Winkle?”
==>
Sid, as he has stated many times, our friend BJP here does not believe in a. reading history, or b. learning how history has impacted and influenced our present and our views, or c. learning from history.
And for some inexplicable reason, he keeps returning to “extreme right wing” blogs even though according to him, there’s little truth or accuracy in the views expressed on these blogs and he doesn’t share our views. I guess somehow these blogs must have become part of his “community”/”society” even if he denies the existence of it. 🙂
What a pathetic party this is!!
So many spineless creatures “playing follow the leader” or “run back and touch that wall”.
Just a short while ago, the CPM thought they were invincible in West Bengal; some reports now indicate that the party cadre greatly fear the coming elections, because the mood has changed and people are waiting to give back what they have received for over 30 years.
More than 6 years have elapsed and the KKangress lead UPA has been a failure on all counts so far.Maybe they think they can continue with the family portrait? Four years is a long time; the BJP/NDA’s attitude and their communication with the people will make all the difference.
Mr. Bhagwad Jal Park,
Shantanu’s and the other blogs you visit (you know which ones they are) are established and well respected blogs with a large worldwide following of smart and intelligent readers. Your agenda of advertising your own blog/website/whatever by making inflammatory and often moronic statements almost always in direct contradiction with the blog writer is clear. Why don’t you try being honest instead about what you’re advertising?
-CC
Kaffir,
he is looking for assertion that he is a liberal. You see, in today’s India, being a liberal is a hectic responsibility. Morons like Burqa Futt, “I-have-such-beautiful-face-that-brain-is-not-needed” Ghosh and “I-do-not-understand-difference-between-fiction-and-non-fiction” Roy is working full time to up the limit. So what would liberal wanna-bes do? If they do not take the actions that would create self-congratulatory (“I go to extreme right wing blogs and teach them about joys of liberalism. See, I am such a celebrated liberal warrior”) feelings, sooner or later other liberals would consider them out-caste.
BJP is fighting “extreme right wingers”, Roy is fighting the “oppressive government”, Ghosh is fighting “internet Hindus”, Dutt is fighting those who are fighting against Jehadis….just see the trend. Makes me remember that old CPM slogan: “Lorai lorai chai…lorair kore bachte chai” (meaning: we need struggle and more struggle, we would continue the struggle as long as we live). The big liberal clan in Indian blogosphere and media are like the mental hospital guarded by it’s inmates.
@CC
@Kaffir
Thanks for the ad hominem arguments guys. A real help to the conversation. Why don’t you also criticize my dog while you’re at it?
These are ideas we’re discussing. Let’s stick to the topic ok?
BJP, perhaps you need to look up ad hominem and read up on what it means. While you’re at it, also look up ‘straw man’ – because your last comment fits.
In other words, nice try but no cigar.
@Kaffir
Sorry – I meant CC and Sid were using ad hominem arguments. Not you.
we have not yetgot out of feudal mindset,that is why our media of macaulay variety dish out such inanities.however the youth of india is getting over this dynastic over dose and totally sick of it.so far we have an oligarchic democracy.and middle india should launch an allout programme to xpose these feudal mindset of upper class elites.
Shantanu:
This was truly a ROTFL moment for me along with Sudhir’s commentary on his blog. Guess Advaniji’s comments will hold true for much longer about ‘media crawling when asked to bend’.
Also seeing that Munna is not making waves as much as was expected this is literally the last trick out of ‘her bag’ for Maino as her grandkids are regrettably still too young.
India is now between the Devil and the Deep Sea.
i choose Deep Sea a.k.a dynasty of gandhi!
There is “no alternative”!
Indian Pundit wrote:
India is now between the Devil and the Deep Sea.
i choose Deep Sea a.k.a dynasty of gandhi!
There is “no alternativeâ€!
Exactly which Gandhi are you talking about? The one true Gandhi I know did not have any offspring in active politics apart from Gopal Krishna Gandhi ex/current Governor of WB.
Yes the fake Gandhis do have a dynasty.
I did go to yr blog wherein you marked one comment as a right winger’s rant due to so called absence of figures. Our good friend BJP was there too.
Well here is one fact with figures to substantiate:
“The National Commission for Minorities which probed the 2008 Kandhamal riots also said in its report that the Christian population had registered a larger increase than that of the Hindu population. From 19,128 in 1961 to 1.17 lakh in 2001, the Christian population in the district grew by 66 per cent. In contrast, the Hindu population grew from 3.04 lakh in 1961 to 5.27 lakh in 2001”
Bhanu bhai…..dont you know which Gandhi i am talking about.
Surely you do.
I am certainly NOT an admirer of any Gandhi other than The Gandhi(whose ideas are now largely forgotten in Great India)….
But then what can i do??…..i cant let my vote go waste!!!!
As far as a certain “Bhagwad” here is concerned……i can see a TYPICAL right-wing witch hunt is underway!!
BJP,
I will repeat Kaffir’s point. I responded to Kaffir and not to you. And I have no interest in your dog.
Comrade Park,
>>Thanks for the ad hominem arguments guys.
I notice that you are prompt with complaints of ill-treatment, while studiously ignoring the attempts to engage you in a serious dialog. Do you go to blogs to feign bitterness? Or to debate? For example, Sandeep S asked:
Com. BJP: [Priyanka Vadra] may end up doing a better job than most other politicians.
Sandeep: Please state your reasons.
Com. BJP: Because my dog says so ..
Ok, ok, you didn’t say the last bit, but if you have something reasonable to say in response to Sandeep, please do.
Priyanka V is of course a Catholic Christian, but to believe on that basis that she’d make a good politician is to be communal-minded and un-secular. A liberal like you! Perhaps you’d like to spell out the qualifications that you see in her that make you think she’s as promising as Jyoti Basu.
>>If the people want her, she’ll come to power.
Again, since you complain often that people are attacking you: if you insult people’s intelligence as routinely as Sitaram Yechury does, what do you expect in return? Point being, everybody here on this blog knows that ‘if people want her, she will come to power’. If people want Lux soap, they will buy Lux soap. If people want a toilet paper brand called “Roadrunner”, they will buy that brand of toilet paper. I guess this blog post is about the advertising. You are not such an idiot that you don’t know it, do you? Not an ad hominem, but a genuine question.
No, you are not an idiot. I know for certain that you’re a reasonably smart person. So I give you benefit of doubt and assume that you insinuated that blog opinions don’t count, only “people’s” votes do. Fair enough. But then commie loonies keep whining against Narendra Modi. That’s what you need to be concerned about. I suggest you go where Chandru K frequents and set things right; teach some respect for democracy there, maybe.
@Kartik
I don’t have to respond to a question asking me to clarify something I never claimed.
I said she may be a good leader. Meaning that time will tell. Do I need to give you proof for this? Now if I had said she is a good leader…
But I didn’t.
Oh great. We can look forward to more dynastic politics from the Gandhi family then.
Whatever happened to King Bharat’s ideal of only the most WORTHY person being allowed to rule?
Jai
>>Mr. Park : “She may end up doing a better job than most other politicians.”
>>Sandeep : “Please state your reasons.”
>>Mr. Park : “I don’t have to respond to a question asking me to clarify something I never claimed.
I said she may be a good leader. Meaning that time will tell. Do I need to give you proof for this? Now if I had said she is a good leader…
But I didn’t.”
Abu Jahl : She MAY end up doing a better job than most of the physicists in the world. In fact, she MAY even win a Nobel prize in Physics for India after a long time!
Now you right wing numb nuts, don’t ask me to state the reasons for thinking so. Now if I had said she IS a good physicist…
But I didn’t.
@BJP
“…She may end up doing a better job than most other politicians.
As long as she’s competent……”
Waava Wivaa…Hahahaha…..welcome back Congress troll….where have you been…trolling on other sites critical of G-N Family.
Democracy despair… even though democracy has many pitfalls. These people Sonia Maino, Rahul Vinci and Priyanka Vadra have used and abused the Gandhi name for far too long… Indira could possibly be forgiven up to a point. Surely the link has become more tenuous to the point of becoming invisible.
The status quo cannot be maintained and is unsustainable. So if I had a chance, I would
promote economic development, not the Americanisation of India,
take the word secular out of the Constitution
educate the masses about nationbuilding
awaken the middle class and intelligentia to be proactive
totally abolish reservation, permanently
ban most of the Mumbai film industry, F1,(and Cricket probably)
detox the whiskey drinking Vijay Mallya, and ban whiskey… especially the single malt variety
eliminate words such as ‘dude’ ‘rockks’ etc from the dictionaries
promote a 1 child policy, especially in the populous States… it is the poor who cannot look after themselves that Congress keeps on the BPL to easily ‘buy’ votes, and that proportion of the population is increasing, keeping such people in power
in the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost..take down those posters of MMsji,Rahul Vinci and Sonia Maino
put the known corrupt onto the Sasan Ghir forest with an i-Pad given by Kapil Sybil.
I would not be popular, but extreme problems need extreme solutions