Chalakudy (Ker), Mar 31 (PTI) Reaching out to women voters in Kerala, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday highlighted the crucial role they play in society and said till entering politics at the age of 47, she looked after her children, cleaned her house and cooked food just as all housewives do in their family.
"I am really happy to do it and I learnt a very big thing from it," Gandhi said at an election meeting here while highlighting a Congress-led UDF poll promise for the welfare of housewives.
In its manifesto for the April 6 assembly polls, the Congress has promised Rs 2,000 'pension' for homemakers and Rs 72,000 annually to the poor under 'NYAY Yojana'.
The 49-year-old leader said if voted to power, the Congress-led government will implement the scheme to help the housewives so that they can stand up for themselves in their own way.
"You are looking very happy.You should be very happy because this is the first time a political party or a government is recognising what a housewife does," Gandhi said looking at the women who gathered to hear her speech at this town in Thrissur district.
The Congress general secretary said she joined politics when she was 47 years old.
"From the age of 25 to 47, I was a housewife.And you may think that Priyanka Gandhi never cleaned her house.But I cleaned my house, I cooked food, I looked after my children.
And I did all the things that you do in my own way," she said, reaching out to women voters in the southern state.
Noting that she has learnt a very big thing as a housewife, Gandhi, a mother of two, said, "nothing more important than the work you do and without you, the children won't prosper, without you the family is not happy."
"So I learnt to respect the work of the housewife.
And to be honest, every government and every political party needs to learn the same thing," she said.
She also highlighted the NYAY scheme promised by the UDF in her speech.
Gandhi said putting Rs 6000 directly into the account of poor families every month will be the first thing the Congress-led government will do, if it is elected to power.
