‘I have become a strategic feminist’
The Samajwadi Party candidate from Kairana says she has created su cient grounds for change
t 27, Iqra Hasan is one of the youngest candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. She is contesting from her family turf, Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh, on the Samajwadi Party ticket as part of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Ms. Hasan is the daughter of two-time MP and twotime MLA, late Munawwar Hasan. Forced into politics by circumstances, she has won praise for her political sagacity.
AIqra Hasan, SP candidate from Kairana.
“I have not taken a vacation for the past two years. It is a 24X7 job,” she says in an interview with The Hindu. Excerpts:
How did you enter politics?
I had campaigned in 2015 for my mother. After postgraduation, I had to return in 2021 because of CO
VID-19. Around the same time my mother and brother had to abscond. Before the 2022 Assembly polls, my brother was arrested. I became the face of the campaign. People were very sympathetic and it was a collective victory.
How did you apply your theoretical knowledge on political ground?
The ground reality is very dierent. We read caste politics is bad but here you can’t get away from it. I am a feminist but I work in a very patriarchal society. I have to nd my way into it so that it is not jarring for people. I can say I have become a strategic feminist (laughs). I always cover my head now...something I didn’t do earlier.
Can you elaborate?
Kairana is not new to women politicians. From Gayatri Devi to my mother and Mriganka Singh, the area has elected female representatives. But there was always a tag of bechari (helpless) attached to it. When you enter there is a lot of resistance. To break that you have to play up to the image. Then it depends on how you utilise the access to people’s faith.
How are you engaging with Jat farmers?
Farmer issues are still not resolved and the BJP continues to be perceived as anti-farmer here.