Rahul's concern is good but Sasikala wants action

RAY OF HOPE: Sasikala's son says he wants to do a diploma in ITI and then get a job in a private firm.

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Keywords: Trust Vote, Speech

Mumbai: In the debate on the trust vote that decided the fate of the Manmohan Singh Government, many politicians made some very entertaining and inspiring speeches, one was that of Rahul Gandhi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi started by saying that he was speaking not as the member of a political party but as an Indian. He talked about a woman called Sasikala in his speech.

CNN-IBN tracked down the Vidharba woman who found place in Rahul Gandhi’s emotive speech.

“When I visited Vidarbha, I visited Sasikala. She works in the fields and her husband is a industry labourer. Together they make just Rs 150 a day,” he said.

On an all-important day in Parliament, the scion of the Gandhi family decided to start his speech with a case study - Sasikala, a poor rural woman he met on his Vidarbha trip.

And far away from the buzz of the Parliament, with no electricity in her home, let alone a TV set, Sasikala had no idea her story was being told to the decision makers of the country.

Her daily battles are far disconnected from the battle for the trust vote that played out in the Lok Sabha. Sasikala has three sons, and with her job as a farm labourer, providing for their food is becoming increasingly difficult.

“Our condition is very bad. We have barely enough food to eat and I want my sons to study but have no money for that,” says Resident, Sonkhat village in Vidharbha, Sasikala Ringne.

It was a brass lamp in Sasikala's home, which found a mention in Rahul Gandhi's speech as he tried explaining how assuring energy security was innately connected to alleviating poverty. He also said that if Sasikala's sons could study well, they could have the bright futures they dream of.

“I've finished grade XII now I want to do a diploma in ITI and then get a job in a private firm,” says Sasikala's son, Anil Ringne.

The Government's struggle may be over, but Sasikala and her family's struggle for survival goes on day after day.

Although Sasikal and her family seem happy to hear Rahul's words of concern but will the words translate into concrete action, is what they're really waiting to see.