When the Prime Minister appointed Nirmala Sitharaman as Defence Minister, among the first things she did was to approach Home Minister Rajnath Singh with an unusual request. She did not want her security detail to be upgraded. A flummoxed Home Minister argued against it, citing protocol and procedure. Not wishing to compromise the Home Minister’s position and yet determined to keep her low-profile, unobtrusive persona intact, she made her request formal by writing a letter to Rajnath Singh, who had to, reluctantly, give in. As Defence Minister and a member of the highest echelon of political power, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CSS), Sitharaman may symbolise a woman’s ambition, but she has also made sure she normalises it. In her first structured interview after becoming Defence Minister, Sitharaman talked about the importance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to appoint a woman boss of the Armed Forces and the BJP’s role in empowering women in politics. Excerpts:

Beyond symbolism, what does your appointment as Defence Minister mean to women in politics?

While I see it as a message in terms of gender equality, it is also beyond gender. There’s absolutely no denying the impact that the PM’s decision has had in the minds of the common people in general and women in particular. It is one thing for political parties to recognise women. They have been around. In our party especially, there have been women in positions of power, and I will mention Sushmaji (Sushma Swaraj), who has made a tremendous impact. But mine is a peculiar personal experience from the time I entered politics to becoming Commerce Minister and now as Defence Minister. When you say symbolism, it does not fully capture the impact the PM has made. When someone like me is appointed Defence Minister, it underlines the possibilities and prospects of ordinary women in politics. They feel empowered,they feel that if it is possible for me, with no big dynasty or background, it is also possible for them. I have women, families, common people in airports and restaurants walk up to me to share a moment just to internalise that this is for real. I am not saying that the glass ceiling has been broken completely, but there is a real feeling that absolutely common, normal women can reach the top.

But does this change the fact that politics is still an extremely tough profession for women to practice?

Undoubtedly, politics continues to be a very difficult field for women to operate in. But examples, symbols are important in the struggle for empowerment. The PM’s message here is that if you try, you will succeed and your options and possibilities are tied to self-belief and confidence. But you cannot simply dismiss it as mere symbolism because it is not a patronising gesture. The PM has a clear task cut out for me. I was told that I cannot just sit in South Block and enjoy being Raksha Mantri. I have to be in the field and meet soldiers. Simultaneously, the process of procurement will have to be transparent and yet efficient. Another priority is for Make in India to become a reality in defence production. There are varied challenges and sometimes expectations overwhelm me. I’d like to also say that while my first placement in the party was because of the 33 per cent reservation in organisational posts – and I am the first full-time woman Defence Minister after Indira Gandhi held the additional portfolio – I could not have wished for a better professional response. The Armed Forces have been entirely professional. There has not been a moment when I was made to feel conscious of my gender or even a whiff of anyone patronising me.

So reservation for women is important, especially in politics.

BJP had powerful leaders like Sushmaji, and before I came in, Vasundhara Raje and Uma Bharati had already been Chief Ministers. But I came in because of women’s reservation. When reservation was provided for women in Panchayati Raj institutions, we heard many regressive arguments about “husbands running panchayats” and that this would be tokenism. But you see what is happening now, the women sarpanches are performing and I am trying to do my best. I think this whole argument of merit or us being proxies for husbands is just a form of denial. It is possible today to grow without the benefits of lineage , dynasty or caste or the perceived disadvantage of gender. And I at least had reservation to thank for it in the beginning.

Isn’t there a dichotomy in the social conservatism of the BJP and its commitment to 33 per cent reservation for women at all levels of organisation, as well as having two women in the CCS?

I think people should get over their preconceived notions about conservatism and what constitutes progressive politics and modernity. It is the BJP which has 33 per cent reservation for women at all levels of party organisation. It is PM Modi who has appointed two women in the CCS. And would you disagree with me that even someone like Brinda Karat, with her work and commitment, had to struggle to get into the CPI(M) politburo? How many women are there in the Congress Working Committee (CWC)? It is also time that modernity and liberalism are not confused with what we choose to eat and whether we wear a saree and bindi. I may look like the neighbourhood aunt but does it really matter?What is important is what I do.

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