After Jaya, TN yet to see rise of prominent woman politician

Incarceration of VK Sasikala, who was thought to be stepping into her friend Jayalalithaa’s shoes till February 2017, has further narrowed down the space of women in the state polity, which, like elsewhere, was a male bastion.

Though a few promising newcomers like South Chennai MP Tamilachi Thangapandian of DMK and Karur MP Jothimani of Congress have inspired confidence among aspiring women politicians, barring Thoothukudi MP and DMK women’s wing secretary Kanimozhi to an extent, there has not been a larger than life woman leader for the aspirants to look up to in the state polity.

Migration of former state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan, following her appointment as Governor of Telangana and fading footprint of DMDK ‘led’ by Premalatha Vijayakanth had only helped sustain the male domination.

Admitting that the space for women politicians has shrunk, Congress MLA and women’s wing leader S Vijayadharani said, “Cutting across party lines, male politicians have an element of apprehension towards their female colleagues. Even in the Congress headed by a women national president, how many women state presidents do we have? We had a Rita Bahuguna Joshi, she had quit the party. Now, we have a woman state party president only in Rajasthan. There are a couple of them in the BJP. Otherwise, men in most parties want women to be confined to limited roles like Mahila Congress. We can become MLA and MPs or the head of the women’s wing, beyond that it is hardly imaginable.”

Barring deputy general secretary Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan in the DMK, organising secretary B Valarmathi in the AIADMK, DMDK treasurer Premalatha Vijayakanth and state secretary of BJP Vanathi Srinivasan, who at least hold posts, the political limelight hardly falls on the women.

Vijayadharani attributes it to men’s insecurity and argued; “It started with Indira Gandhi and later Jayalalithaa. Men have grown insecure of women like them helming the party. Both the women became irreplaceable and unchallengeable in the respective parties. Men were at their mercy. It is the insecurity that prompts men to discourage women from rising in the party.”

A woman leader of a state party, who did not wish to be named said, “We can become MLAs, MPs and even Ministers. Among the very few women who become Ministers, how many are given prominent portfolios? If there is taboo in even awarding portfolios to women colleagues, not much needs to be said about them securing party positions. They need women leaders to woo female voters, but the male leadership does not want them to have individual popularity.”

“It is good that they feel threatened. Because it vouches for the capacity of women politicians. So, no one can speak merit of women. Also, reservation in Assembly is not the only way to achieve it. What is the plight of women local body heads? They are remote controlled by their spouses. It will only be a cosmetic change if you stop with merely reserving 33 per cent or 50 per cent seats in councils and assemblies. Of course, reservation will open the political space for women and help them taste power, but real empowerment of women in politics will happen only when the attitude of men changes,” she reasoned.