Someone has to say it.
“Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon” slogan Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been using for upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections is silly.
First of all, if taken out of political context, it perpetuates stereotype that girls are always into catfights and always indulging in fights.
And second of all, granddaughter of Indira Gandhi should be the last person to say this – the ‘ladki’ so to say, waged a war against Pakistan and won. So even before Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came with her baby steps on the political ground with the lame ‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’ slogan, her grandma had been there, done that already.
With all her flaws, Indira Gandhi ruled the country with an iron fist and let us not forget the Emergency. For 21 month period. Lost elections and then won back with a landslide.
And then she is also daughter of Sonia Gandhi. Who is the longest serving President of the Indian National Congress.
While the party has now been reduced to the family business of the Nehru-Gandhi family, it is the Grand Old Party of India which has been in power for the better part of independent India. Does Priyanka Gandhi know that her mother was made party president within just 62 days of becoming primary member? Does she know how the ‘ladki’ that her mother was ‘fought’ and became the party president the first time? Let me do the honours.
In December 1997 Sonia Gandhi joined Congress formally and addressed her first election rally in Tamil Nadu. Soon, Sitaram Kesari, who was the Congress party president, was being forced to step down to make way for Sonia Gandhi to become the party president. At 82, Kesari wanted to stick around as party president a little longer.
On March 14, 1998, Congress Working Committee decided to ask Kesari to step down so Sonia could take over. He was reportedly locked up in the bathroom at Congress headquarters in Akbar Road so he could not stop Sonia from entering the office with her supporters to take over as party president.
Fair play, eh?
So, Priyanka, you come from an extremely privileged background. That there were people like Congress leader from Prayagraj Haseeb Ahmed rooting for you and asking you to take over the reins of party as well as country even before you had taken the plunge in politics says a lot about your privilege. All you’d have to do, should you choose to contest elections for Assembly, which I doubt you’d do because Gandhis never go below MP elections, you would have to ask and someone will vacate a ‘safe seat’ for you.
In context of Uttar Pradesh, the one who should actually use ‘Lakdi Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’ slogan would be Mayawati. She has served as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in four separate terms. As a Dalit leader, she has had to put up a fight where caste equations matter the most: In Indian politics. Do you know she was the first female chief minister of India from a scheduled caste?
She may have had her flaws and political career muddled with allegations of corruption, but then isn’t your own brother Wayanad MP out on bail?
For ‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’, you’d have to give up on your family name, fortune, money and manpower and fight and win elections and prove it was not served to you on a ready platter like your brother and other members of the family. Till then, your slogan is as empty as your sibling’s beautiful mind.
