Women power needed to clean up politics: Sushma Swaraj

Swaraj also expressed deep concern over female foeticide.

Asking young women not to be averse to joining politics,senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today said “good people” were needed to “clean up” the political life in the country.

“I want all of you to become Sushma Swaraj. People say politics is polluted. I would like to ask you will you not clean a room of your house if it is dirty. Good people must come and join politics to clean it,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha told a gathering of young girls while asking them to join politics.

In an interaction with around 200 girls as part of celebration to mark the International Women’s Day on March 8,Swaraj threw light on various aspects of her life as well as her opinion on a range of issues related to women.

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“I fought election at the age of 25 and became a Cabinet Minister. It is a sort of record till today…I want young and good people to join politics,” she said.

When a girl asked whether her family life suffered due to political work,Swaraj said,”I always believe in time management. For me quality of time is more important than quantity of time.

“In last 34 years,I and my family never felt that my political life has come in the way of my family life,” Swaraj said.

Replying to a question on why there is not enough representation of women in Parliament,she said the when the Women Reservation Bill becomes a law,then the fair sex will have equal representation in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

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She said the BJP has assured the government that the party will support the Bill when it comes to Lok Sabha.

Seeking equal opportunity for women,she also wondered why women cannot be given combat role in armed forces and said the problem is with the “mindset”.

“Why women are not given combat role in army? The problem is with the mindset. Can women not play their role in combat duties,” she said.

Swaraj also expressed deep concern over female foeticide.

She urged the women to join BJP and took a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family,saying anybody in her party can rise to the top position which is “not possible in Congress as the top position in that party is always reserved for a particular family”.