NDTV Yuva Conclave: First-Time Women MPs On Breaking Barriers In Politics
A one-time Kendriya Vidyalaya PGT teacher, Ms Sehrawat never thought she would make it in politics. "Fate takes you where you have to go. I did not have a family tradition in politics, but the BJP provided me an opportunity," she stated during the NDTV Conclave.
A new generation of young women leaders is leaving its imprint on a political scene still dominated by men. First-time MPs Shambhavi Choudhary (LJP-RV, Bihar), Kamaljeet Sehrawat (BJP, Delhi), and Dr Byreddy Shabari (TDP, Andhra Pradesh) spoke about their journeys into politics, overcoming biases, and being heard in Parliament at the NDTV Yuva Conclave session entitled “Yuva Women Powering Politics.“
Shambhavi Choudhary: ‘Patriarchy Unites Women’
Reminding how she was booed in Parliament when delivering a speech on the 75 years of the Constitution, Shambhavi Choudhary asserted, “When you utter something that makes someone uncomfortable, the opposition comes in. But I was prepared.” The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP credited Union Minister Bhupender Yadav for coming to her defence and added, “It was nice and nice of him to point it out.”
“The atmosphere in Parliament is friendly. Male and female MPs support one another,” she said.
Speaking on gender battles, she added, “Patriarchy binds all female MPs. Regardless of how well you do, the mind set of society is one we must battle.”
On freedom of speech, she went on to say, “Expressing yourself is great, but so too is responsibility. Social media has positives and negatives, and one needs to know the effects of what they say and do.”
Kamaljeet Sehrawat: One Doesn’t Need Family Background for Politics
Ms Sehrawat, a former Kendriya Vidyalaya PGT teacher, had never planned a career in politics. “Destiny takes you where you are destined. I didn’t have any family background in politics, but the BJP gave me a chance,” she stated at the NDTV Conclave.
She narrated a class given by erstwhile Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj, “She said to me, ‘If a man is at 20, you must be at 22 to qualify as a 20.’ Women have to justify more.”
Ms Sehrawat mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to bring one lakh youth into politics, saying, “The times of family-oriented politics are gone. Newer minds are guiding the future of the nation.”
Dr Byreddy Shabari: Doctor To Politician
A doctor-turned-MP, Ms Shabari embarked on her journey through medical camps in Andhra Pradesh’s rural Nandyal, where villages were without even basic electricity. “People saw me not just as a doctor but as someone who could bring change,” she said.
Her greatest feat? Getting electricity into a tribal village for the very first time since Independence. “It was the first time that they had ever seen light at home. I took darkness away from their lives,” she stated at the NDTV conclave.
“I would like to be a ‘good politician’-a politician who transforms systems and transforms lives,” she said.
