Disclaimer : My only source of information about both of them is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahul_Gandhi and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayawati and than various news available on internet.
I am trying to compare their family back ground, education, career and political achievements and future.
1. Family back ground
Rahul Gandhi’s father was Prime Minister of India. His paternal grandfather was Feroze Gandhi, an MP, and freedom fighter, also managing editor of National Herald, founded by Kamla Nehru, his mother-in-law founded. (Source).
His maternal grandfather was J L Nehru, prominent freedom fighter, first prime minister of India. So, as often India media reports, he comes from a political first family of India.
Mayawati’s father was a clerk in Telecom department, Prabhu Das, a Dalit, untouchable. Her mother was Ram Rati, no details.
Rahul Gandhi comes from a family of ex-prime minister, while Mayawati comes from a low caste, and poor family with nothing noteworthy of a lineage. Rahul Gandhi had been under various security threat for his family lineage, both his grandmother and father were killed by assassins. While, I doubt, not many people gave Mayawati second look while she was growing up.
Rahul Gandhi had everything in his childhood by which he could be a successful in any chosen field, the same can not be stated about Mayawati.
2. Education
Rahul Gandhi was educated in Modern School, Doon School, St Stephen’s College in New Delhi, and finally Harvard College, and than finally graduated from “Rollins College in Florida, USA where he completed a B.A. in 1994.”
Mayawati graduated from Kalindi College in Delhi and holds both Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Education degrees. She worked as a teacher in Delhi (Inderpuri JJ Colony) during which time she studied for the Indian Administrative Service exam.
Rahul Gandhi had best education money could afford as well as bearing security concern on his life. Mayawati just had kind of education like millions of people in India. She prepared for IAS and she worked as teacher in a JJ colony. JJ means jhuggi jhupri if I am not wrong and it simply means slum.
3. Career and Political achievements
Rahul Gandhi worked in London with the strategy consultancy firm Monitor Group. Also he ran “an engineering and technology outsourcing firm in Mumbai”.
After that he became Congress Lok Sabha candidate in 2004 Genereal Election from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. As expected he won in the election. In 2007, he was made General Secretary in All India Congress Committee. There has been appeal by section of senior Congress Leaders to become Prime Minister of India when Sonia Gandhi refused Prime Ministerial Post in 2004. But he refused.
Mayawati was working as teacher in (Inderpuri JJ Colony) when she joined Kanshi Ram to become founder memebr of BSP ( Bahujan Samajwadi Party). BSP fielded Mayawati for its first election campaign from the Kairana Lok Sabha seat in the Muzaffarnagar district in 1984, and then again for the Lok Sabha seats of Bijnor in 1985 and Haridwar in 1989. She lost all the elections. Mayawati first won for the Lok Sabha elections in 1989 from Bijnor. In 1995, while a member of the Rajya Sabha, she became a Chief Minister in a short-lived coalition government, and validated her position by winning from two constituencies in 1996. She was again Chief Minister for a short period in 1997, and then for a somewhat longer term in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2002 to 2003.
She became chief of BSP after retirement of Kanshiram in 2003. And in 2007 Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly election she won simple majority and formed government.
Rahul Gandhi had things smoothly in his political career. Congress made him General Secretary as his mother is the president of Congress. So it was easy for him. Mayawati was founder member of her party, and whatever BSP is today, Mayawati has good amount of contribution to it. Rahul Gandhi has not contributed to Congress Party apart from lending his Gandhi surname. In 2007 election, Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati were pitted against each other and Mayawati routed him quite convincingly.
Both are PM Candidates in India today. Mayawati by her merit and Rahul Gandhi by his family lineage. In normal cases, Mayawati would have been hailed as great achiever who has risen from JJ Colony in New Delhi to CM of UP, the most populous state in India. But her personal achievements were never glorified as she belong to Dalit ( Untouchable) caste and she never courted English Media in India. News papers, TV Channels highlight her corruption cases, her antics about birth days, political manipulations, scams. Most probably, woman’s rights groups should have hailed her as an great achiever from an area where girl-childs are not celebrated.
While Rahul Gandhi has not been covered in media, except his Kalawati episode. But he has not achieved anything spectacular, but he has lot of potential.
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