New Delhi, 31 March:In the recent past the election scene in India has changed drastically, with a number of independent candidates coming to the fore. One such candidate who will be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Gandhinagar constituency, Ahmedabad, is Ms. Mallika Sarabhai well known artist, performer and social activist.
Ms. Sarabhai was invited to the Jawaharlal Nehru University on 31st March 2009 to speak to the students about her ideology and her experience of standing as an independent woman candidate from the Gandhinagar constituency against the BJP leader L. K. Advani.
Some of the issues she spoke on were women’s safety, abuse and discrimination against women in politics. She also spoke about the numerous challenges that independent candidates have to face from political parties contesting in the elections. Even though she had been offered tickets by various political parties, Ms. Sarabhai has chosen to contest in the elections as an independent candidate. Her agenda is crisp and clear; she wants to bring an end to the communal violence in the country, something she feels very strongly about. She spoke about her experience in Godhra and wishes to ensure that such acts of mass murder are not repeated on Indian soil. She is very clear in her resolve and said that she is not standing against any particular individual but standing for the people.
Ms. Sarabhai also spoke about the issues concerning the electoral system in India and its shortcomings. By saying “empowering the voter to be an active person in the democracy”, she stressed on the right to recall as an important tool in the hands of the people, something that should be taken up with full force.
In a country where parties come to power and decide the fate of millions, it is a welcoming change to see more independent candidates raising their voice for the people and contesting against giant political parties. Ms. Sarabhai’s anti-communal stand is worthy of applause and mass support and one hopes that we see more independent and people’s candidates coming to the fore and fighting for the rights of the people.
To know more about Ms. Sarabhai’s campaign and her agenda visit: http://mallikasarabhai.in/
