Explained : Who gets to speak gender power politics waiting MBIFL 2026 and Its Impact

At the seventh edition of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL), the session ‘Voicing gender: politics as ideology’ unfolded as a sharp examination of power rather than a conventional panel discussion. In conversation with international journalist Anjana Sankar, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi traced how gender shapes political ambition, authority and access in India, drawing not from theory but lived experience.

From the outset, Chaturvedi rejected the idea that politics operates on neutral ground. “A man can arrive overnight and be declared a leader,” she said, contrasting it with how women who have “worked for ten or eleven years are told—your time hasn’t come yet.” What is framed as patience, she argued, is often a tool of exclusion. “Until you speak up, until you show ambition, no one is laying out the red carpet for you.”

Sankar reflected on similar patterns within media institutions, noting that newsrooms often mirror political spaces where women’s visibility itself is treated as a concession rather than a right.

One of the most resonant moments came when Chaturvedi described how language is weaponised against women in power. “An assertive man is a leader. An assertive woman is aggressive. An ambitious man is smart. An ambitious woman is opportunistic.” The imbalance, she said, forces women to negotiate their own dignity. “How can you ask for one inch more? Isn’t what we’ve given you enough?”

The discussion turned to the Women’s Reservation Bill, passed in 2024 but deferred until 2029. Chaturvedi called the delay unprecedented. “No bill in the world is passed for a later date,” she said, questioning political intent. She pointed out that no major party crossed even 15 per cent women candidates in subsequent elections, despite public support for representation.

She contrasted this with local governance, where panchayats and civic bodies with nearly 50 per cent women representation have already demonstrated the impact of institutional access. “When opportunity is structural, not discretionary, outcomes change,” she argued.

On policymaking, Chaturvedi criticised male-dominated decision-making. “Men decide what women want,” she said bluntly. “Why not ask us?” Citing global studies, she noted that governance deepens and peace processes last longer when women are involved. “Women don’t over-promise. They under-promise and over-deliver.”

Sankar raised a critical question about whether associating women with nurture risks trapping them in expectations of sacrifice. Chaturvedi resisted the binary. “If something softens humanity, we should never give it up,” she said, invoking the balance of Shiv and Shakti. Power without empathy, she argued, is incomplete.

Addressing public scrutiny, Chaturvedi spoke of how women politicians face relentless policing of appearance, relationships and personal lives. “Why can’t attractive women be in politics?” she asked. “Why must competence come with the condition of being invisible?” She acknowledged the mental toll of misinformation and online abuse but refused silence. “Step back if you must—but never get silenced.”

The session closed without offering easy resolutions. Instead, it exposed how equality is postponed, how representation is promised yet rationed, and how ideology often masks imbalance. At MBIFL 2026, the question lingered with force: if democracy is about voice, what does it mean when half the population is still asked to wait its turn?

Published: 30 Jan 2026, 09:44 pm IST

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