Some of the influential leaders in India are not married and the two main contenders for the Prime Ministership in this Lok Sabha election are also not married, though we cannot say Narendra Modi is unmarried since he was married but left the marriage some 45 years ago to pursue his political career.
Marriage and Corruption
In a recent campaign rally, Modi’s main point of emphasis was why he will do corruption since he has no one to call his own. Modi and BJP were able to keep the marriage topic low for quite some time but as the party started expecting a win in the elections; Modi had to reveal the truth about his marriage where he abandoned his marriage for turning into an activist for a Hindutva based organization and had to vow celibacy.
Modi’s Wife Jashodaben
His wife Jashodaben Chimanlal never remarried after Modi left her. Their married life lasted only about 3 months after which Narendra Modi, aged just 17 years decided to become a monk and wander in the mountains. Now she is living on a pension of INR14,000 per month in a small village. However, Jashodaben never spoke ill about Modi despite the fact that he abandoned her.
Congress using the opportunity
Congress was quick to utilize this opportunity and blame BJP as well as Modi of misleading public. Most political parties are sensing public dissatisfaction over corruption in the country and they are hoping that the bachelor tag on some of their leaders will help them to win the elections. Politicians believe that being bachelor means that they would not rob public exchequer since they do not have any one after them, money will be immaterial for them. The truth behind this belief is yet to be ascertained.
Similar to the national level party leaders many of the regional party leaders are also bachelor; Jayalalitha Jayaram in Tamil Nadu, Mamta Banerjee in West Bengal and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh. How these parties perform in the Lok Sabha election will also be decisive in deciding which government forms at the center.
Thus, politicians like Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi are not married presently and think of it as a positive point. They believe that people will think they will be less corrupt since they do not have a family of their own and will not have any interest in leaving a financial legacy behind for them.
