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“The Gen Z movement has gained a sharper focus, and therefore we are looking at everything with a new lens, whether it is youth or now women. Seeking support of women is nothing new, but it has assumed a new urgency post this CJP,” says The Federal’s Editor-in-Chief S Srinivasan, as Rahul Gandhi appears to recalibrate his outreach by turning his attention to women voters.

Rahul’s women outreach

Srinivasan said Rahul’s women-focused video was significant even if the idea itself was not original. He noted that the video was prompted by an impromptu question during the Congress leader’s “Ask Me Anything” session. Rahul, however, said he had continued thinking about the issue and subsequently chose to record a separate one-minute Instagram video to explain his stand on women.

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Speaking on The Federal’s Capital Beat show, Srinivasan said Rahul Gandhi appeared to be signalling that his position on women’s empowerment was rooted in a genuine belief rather than being merely a political message. He noted that Rahul was attempting to approach the issue differently from the norms of a patriarchal society, while also acknowledging his own position as a man when making the argument.

He said Rahul was seeking to capitalise on the changing political mood around women and young voters. “I think now he is trying to seize that opportunity,” he said.

Messaging meets political reality

Srinivasan also said Rahul’s women-focused messaging could come back to haunt him because of the gap between his statements and his party’s record in power. He pointed to the absence of a woman minister in the Congress-led Karnataka government, saying such contradictions would inevitably invite questions about whether Rahul would uphold the same principles if he came to power.

He said Rahul would also have to live up to the expectations created by his latest outreach. If the Congress leader is stepping up his campaign by taking up women’s issues and sending a different kind of political message, he would also have to back that messaging with action, he said.

Srinivasan, however, said Rahul had been raising students’ issues through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign even before the CJP began its hunger strike in Delhi. But it was the CJP’s protest that really caught the imagination of Gen Z, allowing the movement to get ahead of traditional political parties, he said.

Youth issues resonate with women

Srinivasan said women voters often approach politics differently from men, with family and the future of their children playing a central role in their choices. While men may be more likely to be influenced by broader issues such as religion and caste, women tend to focus more closely on issues affecting their families and children, he said.

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According to him, women, particularly those concerned about their children’s future, were also affected by the issues driving the Gen Z movement. He noted that unemployment and other forms of dissatisfaction had resonated beyond students and young people, with many women unhappy about their children being caught up in these problems. This, he suggested, could give Rahul Gandhi an opportunity to broaden the political appeal of the movement.