Union minister Sitharaman says 'politics needs more women'

Sitharaman attributed landslide UP election win to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's whirlwind campaign.

Hyderabad, Apr 8: The Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the politics needs more women.

Participating in an interactive session with members of Young Ficci Ladies Organisation in Hyderabad, Sitharaman said, "This politics may not be the first choice profession for women. In my family they asked me if I was sure to end up in politics. But politics needs more women. I would say that we need more women," she said.

"We do not want the stereotyped male or female in politics. Today our aspirational youngsters do not want the politics which was seen 20 or 30 years ago. They are looking at honestly serving the nation. They do not want permanency or feeling of entitlement, that I have to be there because my family has been there," the BJP leader added.

Asked about her party's landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh elections, Sitharaman attributed it to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's whirlwind campaign.

"The Prime Minister didn't have to...for a state election get himself involved so much, to the extent that in Varanasi when the final rally took place, he was literally connecting to everybody who was on the street. He did not have to take that risk. It was literally putting himself at stake," she said.

"And I am glad it's our Prime Minister who has got the confidence to say I will be there and I will take the responsibility. He said I am going to connect to every voter there, I am going to ask every voter to believe me and believe in my party and I will show you a different Uttar Pradesh and that's what made the difference," Sitharaman said.

Asked if she would ever get involved in the local politics of Tamil Nadu, her home state, the minister said, "...I don't think (so). I am happy where I am."

PTI