Women Congress leaders in Telangana are jubilant over the observation made by AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi that he would like to see a woman as the Chief Minister of the State.
Though the statement is in contrast to the remarks made by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh that a Dalit would be made the first Chief Minister of Telangana, it nevertheless has raised the hopes of women leaders, who are contesting the elections.
If the observations of top AICC leadership are any indication, the party may spring a surprise after the elections in selection of the chief ministerial candidate. There is fairly serious competition among the women leaders in the Congress for the top post. Names of former Ministers – J. Geeta Reddy, D.K. Aruna and V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy – have always been doing the rounds. Joining the list could be actors Vijayashanti, Jayasudha and N. Padmavati, wife of TPCC working president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. The Congress party has fielded nine women candidates in the Assembly elections in Telangana.
“All the women are in the race for the top post,” is how former Minister D.K. Aruna reacted when contacted over phone in Gadwal. She told The Hindu that Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s statement once again reiterated Congress party’s commitment to give pride of place to women. “It is the Congress party, which has made Sheila Dixit the Chief Minister of Delhi for three terms and Pratibha Patil the President. Such encouragement will certainly see more women joining politics,” she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, former Minister V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy, who is contesting from Narsapur Assembly constituency, told The Hindu that Mr. Rahul Gandhi had made similar promise about empowering women in politics. “He had said that 50 per cent of the women should be politically empowered. This announcement will go a long way in boosting the morale and enthusiasm of the women. Congress has once again proved that it is really concerned about the uplift of women,” she remarked.
Notwithstanding Mr. Rahul’s remarks, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and AICC SC Cell chairman Koppula Raju, who have been extensively touring in Telangana as well as Seemandhra regions, first sprang a surprise claiming that the first Chief Minister of the Telangana State would be a Dalit. This statement was obviously made to corner TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who had announced long before the State bifurcation that a Dalit would be made the Chief Minister while the one from Muslim community would be made the Deputy Chief Minister. After the State division, KCR has been insisting on a strong leadership to lead the new State for its all round development.
At the same time, there is a mad race among the SC leaders for the Chief Ministers post. Former Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha Rao, J. Geeta Reddy and Union Minister Sarvey Satyanarayana have time and again claimed that they are in the race.
