‘Have godfather, be girlfriend of powerful male politician to scale heights in politics’

Team Udayavani, Oct 2, 2018, 1:00 PM IST

Tumkuru: In a shocking statement, former minister Leeladevi R Prasad on Sunday said that woman politicians should either have the backing of a godfather or become a girlfriend of a powerful male politician in order to be able to scale heights in politics. 

Addressing an interaction programme here, the 85-year-old veteran leader expressed the sad state of affairs for women in the current political scenario. “I’ve seen all parties and leaders. They all are alike,” she said.

“Though I had helped eight leaders get tickets to contest Assembly polls, it took 40 years for me to make it to the Vidhan Soudha. When I wanted to contest from a Bengaluru constituency, I was denied the ticket. I was also told to search for a constituency,” she charged adding that few men, when pitted against a woman opponent indulge in character assassination.

“I had raised my voice seeking 33% reservation for women in politics when P V Narasimha Rao was prime minister. However, it is still a dream,” she said.