Jaipur, Jan. 28 -- Women must work three times harder than men to survive in politics, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje recently said, adding that "politics often breaks hearts and hurts feelings"- a statement widely seen as more than just an observation on gender and public life. Addressing the Jat Mahila Shakti Sangam in Jaipur on Saturday, Raje said, "Women have to work three times harder than men to earn a place in politics. Despite their competence and dedication, women are often compelled to put in disproportionate effort to gain acceptance and recognition." Two days later, on Monday, Raje made another statement that has attracted political attention, this time from a religious platform. Speaking at the Acharya Mahashraman Maryada Mahotsav in Chhoti Khatu of Didwana-Kuchaman district, Raje said Jainism is founded on the principle of non-violence, where harming any living being is considered violence. Elaborating further, she said violence is not limited to physical acts alone. "Using weapons, assaulting or killing someone are not the only forms of violence. Hurting someone's heart and breaking someone emotionally is also violence," she said. Drawing a clear parallel with public life, Raje added that such situations are common in politics. "In politics, hearts are often broken and feelings are hurt," she remarked. Political expert Manish Godha said being a two-term chief minister who spent a long time in the top hierarchy of the party, Raje is well aware of the harsh realities of politics. "Her recent statements should be viewed in that context; however, they also carry a political message, and as a senior politician, she clearly understands the significance of such messaging," said Godha. Raje said that at the time of Independence, women's literacy rate in India was just 9%, which has now increased to 65%. "Women constitute about 10% of candidates contesting general elections today, compared to only 3% in 1957. There were 22 women MPs in the first Lok Sabha, which has now risen to 74, while the number of women members in the Rajya Sabha has increased from 15 in 1952 to 42 at present. However, these figures are still not sufficient and should be equal to those of men," she said....