Women’s empowerment has become one of the most contested arenas of Indian politics—not merely in terms of policy prescriptions but in the philosophical frameworks that guide them as well help win elections.
The Narendra Modi government and the Opposition—led mainly by the Congress and its allies—present sharply contrasting visions rooted in different understandings of dignity, state responsibility, and long-term societal transformation. The result is a fundamental clash between a “women-led development” model and a “state-dependent equality” model.
Modi’s Framework: Dignity, Infrastructure, and Economic Aspiration
Since 2014, the Modi government has pursued an empowerment template built around three pillars: restoring dignity through basic services, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship, and gradually enhancing political representation.
1.Dignity through Welfare Infrastructure
The Ujjwala Yojana’s free gas connections, Swachh Bharat’s household toilets, piped water supply under Jal Jeevan Mission, and PM Awas Yojana homes registered in women’s names collectively form an ecosystem that lifts the daily living conditions of crores of women. These interventions may appear basic, but they fundamentally alter the gendered power structure within households by giving women access to clean fuel, sanitation, property ownership and freedom from drudgery.
- Economic Self-Dependence
The BJP’s standout initiative—Lakhpati Didi—aims to transform three crore rural women into earning members generating at least ₹1 lakh annually. Unlike one-time cash transfers, this model relies on training, skilling, and micro-enterprise formation through SHGs. The idea is long-term capability building, not temporary relief.
- Political Representation, Slowly but Surely
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves 33% seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, is arguably the most significant constitutional reform in decades. Its implementation after the next Census and delimitation—targeting post-2029—remains controversial, but structurally, it ensures a permanent higher floor for women’s participation in politics.
- Health and Safety
From screening programmes for cervical and breast cancer to Shakti Desks in police stations, the BJP attempts to strengthen institutional support systems that shape women’s lived experience.
This approach is evolutionary rather than revolutionary—slow, systemic, and tied to broader socioeconomic modernization.
Congress and Allies: Entitlement, Guarantees, and Immediate Equality
The Congress’s 2024 manifesto envisions empowerment through legally guaranteed economic and political rights delivered rapidly and directly.
1. Cash Transfers as Economic Support
The proposed Mahalakshmi scheme—₹1 lakh annually to the oldest woman in every poor family—is a bold, fiscally heavy idea aimed at immediate financial autonomy. It positions the state as the primary provider of women’s economic security.
- Quotas in Government Jobs
Reserving 50% of central government jobs for women from 2025 is framed as a necessary corrective to entrenched male workforce dominance. Critics call it impractical in implementation, but Congress sees it as a structural reset.
- Instant Implementation of Women’s Reservation
Accusing BJP of delaying the reservation bill’s rollout, the Congress promises immediate enforcement in upcoming elections, making women political stakeholders without waiting for future census exercises.
- Enforcement of Legal Rights
With proposals like Adhikar Maitri paralegals in every panchayat, the manifesto pitches legal literacy and access as the frontline of empowerment.
Unlike the BJP’s long-horizon model, this framework promises instant transformation through the state’s direct intervention.
The Historical Context: India’s Unique Paradox
India granted women universal suffrage in 1947, unlike Western democracies where women fought for decades just to vote. Yet the lived reality has been paradoxical—promise without participation. In 1962, only 47% of eligible women voted compared to 63% men. Even in 1996, 86% of women voters said they were influenced by family members when voting.
This gap between constitutional promise and social reality still shapes India’s political landscape.
Why Women Gravitate Toward Modi
Despite the Opposition’s lucrative promises, data and ground sentiment show that women increasingly trust Modi. The reason is simple: they experience the outcomes directly—in their kitchens, their homes, their streets, and their daily independence. Welfare that creates dignity and enterprise tends to build deeper loyalty than welfare that creates dependence.
For dynastic parties—Congress, RJD, DMK—the idea of “women’s empowerment” rarely extends beyond symbolic gestures or familial succession politics. For millions of ordinary Indian women, empowerment is not a manifesto slogan; it is a lived, measurable improvement. That is where the Modi model scores—and where the Opposition struggles to gain credibility.
