Kiriti Political parties will have to recognise deficit in representation — gender, caste, and religion — as evidence of a flaw in our democracy and course-correct.
The only woman minister in the Puducherry NDA government resigned on Tuesday alleging gender and caste discrimination. Chandira Priyanga, a Dalit, is also the only woman legislator in the 30-member Puducherry legislative assembly. In her resignation letter, she wrote, “I entered the political arena with a positive mind and willingness to work hard. But I have had to face gender and caste discrimination and could not fight money power and conspiracies.” Priyanga’s story could well be the story of many women politicians, who have to fight multiple odds to discover their space and voice in a profession crowded by men, and where misogyny is more the norm than the exception. Her protest is a reality check for a nation that recently passed a law to reserve up to 33% seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
