Fight for the rights you deserve… Rahul Gandhi tells women the purpose of ‘Shakti Abhiyan’

New Delhi: Congress has always been striving for women leadership in politics. The national executive of the Shakti Abhiyan-Indira Fellowship, which was started by the Congress to advance women power in politics in the country, is running in Delhi. On its first day, Rahul Gandhi reached Jawahar Bhawan to participate in it, where he/she had in-depth discussions with women leaders from across the country. These women came from 21 states and all these participants were the best performers in their respective fields, who expressed their commitment to confront the deep challenges of patriarchy faced by women at the grassroots level. It is noteworthy that powered by Indira Fellowship Shakti Abhiyaan is a national initiative aimed at ensuring equal representation of women in Indian politics. The movement empowers high-performing women from rural and urban communities to contest elections, take on leadership roles, and challenge deeply entrenched patriarchal norms in local and national governance.

‘Our fight is not just for power’

Addressing women on the first day of the event, Rahul Gandhi said that the struggle in politics today is not just against the traditional opposition parties, but a broader ideological battle. Rahul said that today our fight in politics is not just for power, but also for representation, both are two sides of the same coin. She inspired women to reject token positions and fight for meaningful influential positions.

‘…rather fight for your rights’

Rahul said that women should understand that they should not just accept token amount or positions but should fight for their rights which they deserve. The two-day long event saw participants share their ground experiences and discuss the challenges of social resistance, lack of resources and patriarchy in the political structure.

What is the purpose of Shakti Abhiyan?

It is noteworthy that the main demands of Shakti Abhiyan are equal political participation, in which 50 percent of their participation in elected offices at all levels is ensured. Policy reforms should be made for this. Financial and administrative support for women leaders, including specialized resources and training programs to address the systemic barriers women face, the safety and dignity of women in public life, and the protection of women leaders from harassment and violence while in office. and providing protection from intimidation, recognition of women’s leadership in policy-making, efforts to include women’s voices in policy making on issues affecting marginalized communities.