Kamala Harris as US VP is an ‘achievement’ for Indian feminists, but Draupadi Murmu as the Indian President is NOT

When you have built a career out of supporting women, you are expected to cheer for every woman achiever. But, it is not the case with feminists and the phenomenon has now percolated down to Indian feminists as well. Same ideals of women empowerment who celebrated Kamala Harris seem to have problems with the election of Draupadi Murmu as the Indian President.

Difference in treatment to Kamala and Draupadi Murmu (sub)

When Kamala Harris was selected as the deputy of Joe Biden, a lot of Indian celebrities celebrated as if she had become the Indian President. Film actresses having massive social media fan followings tweeted their exuberance for the phenomenon. These included modern day feminist icons like Priyanka Chopra, Sushmita Sen, Swara Bhasker, and Dia Mirza among others.

“When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman #ANewDayInAmerica #Inauguration2021 #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/pUmFx3iVW4
— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) January 21, 2021

United States Of America, you did good! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/YnKbMxMPc5
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 20, 2021

Something similar, but more important happened in India. Recently, a tribal born woman Draupadi Murmu was elected as the Indian President. She beat the opposition’s Yashwant Sinha in a way that Sinha could not even give a close fight. Ideally, Murmu’s achievement deserves more accolades because there is not an iota of dishonest bone in her. On the other hand, Kamala Harris is often accused of being phony and has been caught smirking at awkward moments. But, honesty and decency does not go down well with Indian feminists.

We checked the twitter account of every feminist mentioned above. Swara Bhaskar is busy defending Ranvir Singh’s nude picture, while Sushmita Sen is engaged in giving befitting replies to critics about her alleged affair with IPL baron Lalit Modi. On the other hand, Dia Mirza is trying to save humans from climate change through her tweets. Talking about Priyanka Chopra, well, let’s just say her twitter account is now a commercialised digital real estate. We won’t be talking about Tapsee Pannu here.

It is not about equality

But, many people find it tough to understand the duality of treatment being offered to both these national leaders. Here is how it works. Any kind of “ism” that claims equality is not based on equality. Equality is not their final goal; the slogan is just a tool to reverse the perceived hierarchy in their favour. So, next time when a Communist preaches equality, get it in your head that the individual is using the tool to get to the top of social hierarchy. No matter the number of dead bodies caused during the process of getting to this utopia.

Similar, but slightly milder version applies to feminism as well. When feminists shout that there is too much of ‘patriarchy’ in the society, they do want to dismantle it. In reality, they want the final result to be tilted in their favour. Ideally, the women shouting “oppressive patriarchy” want the position for themselves, by creating a new social order. The moment other women, who come forward, and show to the world that rather than creating anarchy the perceived hierarchy can be toppled with harmony as well, they develop a feeling of animosity for that particular woman. Because, that woman is showing them how things are done without being unhappy and they don’t like it.

Draupadi Murmu deserved more applause

Consider the case of Kamala Harris and our President Draupadi Murmu. Kamala’s career has been full of deceit, lies and backstabbing. She has jailed people for marijuana and when asked whether she consumes it, she smirked. Tulsi Gabbard, member of her own party exposed her during a TV debate, but the only counter she had was that Tulsi is not trustable because she is airing her views on Fox News. Even after her vice presidency, Harris did not stop with her toxicity.

Now, compare her with Draupadi Murmu. She has lived a decent life. She was born in tribal family. She is a self-made woman who crossed all hurdles to get her graduation degree and then slowly went to carve out her own political niche. Throughout her whole life she has been working on ground as a teacher as well as in other roles. In her political career, she has handled high stake portfolios like Commerce and Transportation and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, but not for one moment you would have saw her name in any kind of controversy.

Only nihilists can get support

Even during her Governorship of Jharkhand, she remained low-profile, going on with her daily lives. Add to that she is not a woman who feels embarrassed about her Hindu identity. The President elect has often been seen cleaning Mandirs with her own hands, something which these celebrities just can’t do. Even if they can, their political and ideological affiliations do not allow them to.

No wonder that the President Elect was not praised by Indian feminists. They will only praise those who believe in Nihilism and promote it to gain political power, not someone who is proud of her identity.