New Delhi: Congress party leader Renuka Chowdhury is overwhelmed by the support women have shown her on social media.
The fiery Rajya Sabha member hit the headlines recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to Chowdhury’s laughter during his speech in Rajya Sabha with the remark that he had not heard such laughter since the days of Indian epic Ramayana on TV. Thereafter, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju posted the image of demoness Surpanakha on social media. It became a topic for national debate.
An unconventional woman and politician, Chowdhury was once asked if from being the poster girl of the Telugu Desam Party to becoming the quintessential leader of the Congress party was more than a cosmetic surgery. She retorted, ‘I am the woman who whistles when she is happy, who rode motorcycles in college and rode a tractor to Parliament.’
Chowdhury maintains, “I still drive tractors in villages in Andhra Pradesh, as that is the only way to access places and connect with the masses. I miss Ambassador cars, because the new vehicles are a no-show on village roads.”
She speaks to Gulf News:
GULF NEWS: As Minister of State for Women & Child Development, you accused Sri Ram Sena representatives (in Karnataka) of acting as the moral police during Valentine’s Day and blamed the law and order situation. Irrespective of governments in power at the Centre and states, incidents of rapes are happening in the country regularly. What steps can women parliamentarians take to ensure the safety of women and children?
RENUKA CHOWDHURY: It’s the collective responsibility of governments, people in position and the men in society to ensure we have an atmosphere of safety. Our workspaces are driven with masculinity and men believe that women must change their norms and work according to men’s standards and yardsticks. What we women can do is consistently try sensitising men and teach our sons to respect women.
Why women parliamentarians do not stand collectively and say ‘enough is enough’ and seek ‘capital punishment’ for rapists?
We have a pathetic percentage of women parliamentarians even after 70 years of Independence. We are not in a majority to take on a bill. Our own survival is so threatened in Parliament. Unless we reach the critical marks whereby we can actually dictate terms. India benefited because we had such fantastic Constitutional framework. We are one of the first countries that actually gave franchise to women and they were allowed to vote right from Independence, unlike the so-called progressive West. But we can’t do anything by leaving men out, because then they take no responsibility. You have to involve men to move forward.
The strength of women MPs in the current Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is less than 12 per cent. Why are they not focusing on the issue of Women’s Reservation Bill?
It’s not for the women to do it, but the government that has a brute majority. Now what is holding this government back? Congress had a problem, as ours was a coalition government. But even then we passed the bill in Rajya Sabha. Now there’s a misogynistic group of people and look how they talk and behave with women.
Your boisterous laughter during Prime Minister’s speech did not go well with the people, not did Kiren Rijiju’s post mocking you later. You think the issue could have been averted?
If the words were not uttered, there wouldn’t have been an issue. There was a lie — an absurd story, being told, so I laughed. I am not a schoolgirl and don’t need anyone’s permission to laugh. There is no tax on laughter. And he [Modi] is not the first prime minister that India has laughed at.
The issue has triggered a gender debate and young women are forming ‘Shrupnakha clubs’ and using the acronym LLRC (Laugh Like Renuka Chowdhury) instead of LOL. Wouldn’t it have been better if debates were held on important matters?
I was stunned when I saw all that. This is not about me, but about generation of women in our country who have come of age. Education and communication have improved tremendously and women have gone far ahead. Unfortunately, the governments and societies have not woken up to that. So, I was just a catalyst. But men better realise that even if a prime minister talks derogatorily [against women], it will not be accepted.
After giving a tough fight to the BJP in Gujarat polls and winning Rajasthan bypolls, do you think the Congress party has got its mojo back under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi?
We never lost our mojo. For a while, we were a little outdated in methods in a fast-changing society. So, when the Congress gets its act together, no one can defeat us. And under Rahul’s leadership, we have actually been re-energised. Having a youthful leader with a new perspective on the same problems has been really helpful. It has got us all to come out of our comfort zones.
But in all this brouhaha, why was an important aspect — the low representation of women fielded as candidates by both Congress and BJP overlooked?
We were in by-elections and elections are about mathematics. So, we will put whoever has the chance to win, whether it is a man, a woman or anyone else.
The Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been accused by the BJP of ‘temple hopping’ ahead of state elections to appease Hindu voters. Has the Congress party deviated from its stance of secularism to ‘soft Hindutva’?
We are Hindus and being a Hindu does not remove us from being secular. As a Hindu, it’s my personal matter if I wish to visit a temple. It doesn’t endorse or remove my Hinduism. There is no such thing as ‘Hindutva’. That’s BJPs endorsement and branding. They can’t hijack our Hindu rights. And we don’t have to give any explanation. But if the BJP is worried about Rahul visiting temples, then it is their insecurity about how much he is achieving.
Your Rajya Sabha term expires in April. What plans?
Let’s see. I have a great sense of adventure. My destiny has always led me up those paths. I have never planned things. Never planned joining politics and never planned to laugh in Parliament. So, I’m ready for anything that comes my way.
