She is one of the last of the Socialist pillars in the state. Arthritis and diabetes may have slowed her down, but the same fighting spirit glows brightly underneath the travails of age. Jailed for 13 months in three different prisons during the Emergency, she has battled and beaten breast cancer. At 83, veteran socialist Mrinal Gore is in no mood to relent. The woman who led hundreds of morchas to take on the people in power has the same courage in spite of the fact that her sock-covered feet keep her confined to a wheelchair. Mrinaltai, as she is respectfully referred to now, may not be participating in marches, dharnas, picketing and public fasting. But she has not lost her drive in taking up issues like the Narmada dam or Enron. Last year her non-governmental organisation, the Brihanmumbai Niwara Abhiyan, embarked on a mission to provide low-cost housing to middle and low income groups at a time when real estate prices in city were at unattainable heights. She spoke to Suyash Padate about past glory and the present political scenario.
You took to politics during a period when it was virtually unthinkable for women to be involved in public work.
Yes. I quit medicine and began a career in politics in 1947 by joining the Rashtra Seva Dal. I was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. After joining the Socialist party, I threw myself into work involving the poor, women’s rights, civil rights, communal harmony and trade union activities. Along with my husband, Keshav Gore, both of us worked tirelessly on building better civic infrastructure in Goregaon. As a result public toilets, water connections, community halls, health and family planning centers and schools came up in that vicinity. We also participated in the Goa liberation movement as well as the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. Of course, we were jailed for leading protests and satyagrahas.
Tell us something about your stint in the civic body.
In 1961, for the first time I had contested civic elections and won a seat in then Bombay Municipal Council. Somewhere in 1964, 11 people were killed in water riots in the slums since municipal laws did not permit water connections to jhopadpattis. I raised that issue by storming inside the BMC and tore up the papers. But that aggression worked out in a short time. The injustice was rectified and the slums got taps. Fighting a hard battle, we eventually brought regular and adequate drinking water supply to these areas. Those days were altogether different. The officials use to take immediate cognizance of these grievances. Now everything has changed.
For this major achievement you earned the name of “Paniwali Bai”.
Yes, people still remember me by that name.
In 1972 you were elected to the state Assembly and during that time you were regarded as a real firebrand.
In the house, I took up issues such as atrocities on marginal farmers, Dalits, tribal people and women. At that particular time the prices of essential commodities began skyrocketing. That was a result of the war with Pakistan that had just ended. So I started the anti-price rise campaign through ‘Mahagai Virodhi Kruti Samiti’. As a part of the protest against price rise, we orgaised a rally of hundreds of women towards Mantralaya. We forced the government to take notice and to get the minister to roll back the price of food grains.
Because of you the Assembly for first time worked night and day.
It is a fact. In those days, looking at the pathetic conditions in the slums I had moved a resolution for the Slum Improvement Act. Till that time there was only the Slum Eradication Act in existence. Initially there was much dilly-dallying by the government but finally the ruling party took the bill for the discussion. You will not believe this landmark resolution was debated from 11.00 a.m. to 6 a.m. the next day before being passed. For the first time the Assembly worked night and day. Members from both the sides participated in the debate before passing it without any amendment.
How about the day Emergency was declared?
How can we forget that suppressed period? Whosoever opposed Indira Gandhi’s decision to impose Emergency was arrested and imprisoned under MISA. I went underground and managed to avoid arrest for seven to eight months but one day the police arrested me near Bandra Seaface. I was imprisoned for 13 months. It was just a fight for our right to freedom and we fought it.
It is said that your reformist agenda and efforts paved the way for the independent Indian woman of today.
I personally don’t think so. We fought for the women who are in need and made them aware about their rights. There were many examples of rampant injustice on women in the state. So took up that issue and tried to give justice to the victims. Some women might have taken inspiration from that.
What you think about the women in today’s politics.
The policy of Reservation has been solely responsible for bringing more women into politics at the local self-government level. They need to extend it to the Assembly and even Lok Sabha levels now. What I personally feel is that we have to give women quotas to participate politically. It will be good for our country if more and more women take active part in politics at every level.
What you think about the present political scenario.
Looking at the state of affairs on every level, the situation is very gloomy. Corruption is rampant and it has reached even down to the grass roots. The more painful and sad part is that the people in power could hardly care less for those who have put them in their positions. They have thus had to develop their own methods of survival and getting things done.