‘Women have to go through a lot, like bear pain (physiologically), but I am still standing’: Kalpana “JMM talks about development, and they (the Opposition) misdirect people from the issues. The people of Jharkhand know that the BJP can stoop to its lowest”: JMM MLA and star campaigner Kalpana Soren, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Gandey MLA, is aiming for her second electoral victory months after her maiden bypoll win.
Since her husband’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in January this year, Kalpana has emerged as a key party leader whose presence as a star campaigner has been in demand across the state over the course of this Assembly election. In an interview with The We are committed towards conducting other competitive Various other schemes such as housing for the poor, increased pensions and direct benefit transfers for women have been given under this government. * In most constituencies that have voted so far in the first phase, women turned out in greater numbers than men.
While one reason could be that men have migrated, do you think women-centric welfare schemes have resonated well? This is the first time since Jharkhand’s formation that women and girls have got strong schemes to support themselves. For instance, the Savitribai Phule scheme, which gives students from Class 8 to 12 assistance every year; the Phulo Jhano scheme, which gives loans to women (earlier involved in the production and sale of liquor) to start their own businesses; and now the Maiyya Samman scheme (which gives women aged 21 to 50 a I have been on the go since the Maiyya Samman yatra was launched in September, and now we are in the last leg of election campaigning.
Women have to go through a lot, like bear pain (physiologically), but I am still standing. I have a fever, sore throat, but when I see women of my state giving blessings, I get recharged. I feel very proud when I see a large number of mothers and sisters participating in my sabhas across the state. * How do you respond to those who have trolled you on social media? The problem is that Jharkhand mein hum muddon ki baat nahin karte (we don’t talk about issues).
The Opposition does not want to talk about the domicile policy, reservation for the backward classes, the resolution on the Sarna religious code (for tribals) – all of which we have passed in the Assembly. I can tell you that in our personal time together, we only exchange preliminary greetings and then we talk about the people of Jharkhand. We don’t talk about ourselves like we used to do as a couple earlier.
The 4 crore people of Jharkhand have showered so much love on us and we have a responsibility. We do share talking points on our speeches and keep ourselves abreast of the political * If the JMM-led coalition forms the government again, what will be its priority? The youth have suffered a lot. Our priority will be to