After launching a first of its kind All-Women’s Party in Delhi and Mumbai, medical professional and social activist Dr Swetha Shetty unveiled her party in Chennai. Describing the National Women’s Party(NWP) as ‘a party of mothers’, Swetha (36) says her party’s goal is to project the importance of women’s participation in the political field all over India and to represent ‘women’, particularly the underprivileged who have suffered at the hands of the system.
Nithya Teju of Bigg Boss fame and ex wife of actor Balaji will be helming the Tamil Nadu division. Shruti Nakul, wife of actor Nakul was also spotted at the event.
“Those who have run from office to office in expectation of some help to make their lives better and got nothing” and those who suffered from domestic abuse or are struggling against the social establishment are those we would like to help. Our ideology is to remove gender disparity in politics and thus create equal importance for females in the patriarchal Indian society. There are only 11 per cent of women in Parliament. We have the right for 50 per cent representation. We will fight for it,” Swetha said. “We have taken the first step.”
Speaking about how she was roped in, Nithya Teju, the Tamil Nadu president of NWP, said, “After I suffered issues in my personal life, I started a NGO called Women Endeavour and was running it for the last two years. My aim is to give social protection and financial independence to women and empower them to stay independent. The NWP came to know of my work and were in touch for the last few months. And when I realised that my ideologies of uplifting women were going well with NWP, I gladly accepted to be a part of them. And I will put to use my newfound fame with Bigg Boss for the betterment of my party.”
Giving out more details she said, “As of now, from TN, we have planned to contest in 20 constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Winning or losing is not the point. We are in the selection process. Men who share our ideologies and NGOs who work for women empowerment also help us.”
