What drove lone Puducherry woman minister to quit Cabinet
S Chandira Priyanga said that she has resigned as minister in the AINRC-BJP-led government due to caste and gender discrimination in a male-dominated political world
The nation is set to see 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, thanks to the recent passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. However, the ground reality for some existing women legislators does not appear very promsing.
Puducherry's only woman legislator, S Chandira Priyanga resigned as a minister in the AINRC-BJP-led government, alleging that she could not bear the harassment in the male-dominated political world any longer. She alleged that it is rooted in patriarchy and they conspire to make sure women do not flourish.
In her resignation letter, the former minister said she was not allowed to function and blamed the "politics of conspiracy and the big ghost of money power" for quitting. Priyanga, who held the portfolios of scheduled caste welfare, transport, and art and culture in the N Rangasamy-led coalition cabinet stated in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she resigned due to "caste and gender discrimination".
Chief Minister N Rangasamy, however, did not want to comment on Priyanga's decision to resign.
First woman to become minister in Puducherry
In 2021, the Neduncadu MLA, Priyanga, made news when she became the first woman to be made a minister in the Union territory, after a gap of over 40 years.
According to the 34-year-old politician, though women are educated and come from a privileged background, the male-dominated political world conspires to treat you in such a manner as to break you. She wrote in her resignation letter, which was released to the media that you do not get respect even if you are capable and doing your job well.
Proud of her Dalit woman identity, she had not expected people to use it against her, she said, questioning why should it matter whether you are a man or woman, where you came from? All that mattered is whether you can deliver and work for people but that doesn't happen, she said. “I couldn't take the harassment rooted in patriarchy," she said.
Further, Priyanga urged CM Rangasamy to get a Dalit, Vanniyar, or a member of some other marginalised community as her replacement in the ministry.
She said in her letter that she was elected to the Assembly due to her popularity among the people in her constituency. However, she realised she was being targetted continuously and found it difficult to overcome "politics of conspiracy" and the big ghost of money power.
On asked why she did not fight this discrimination, Priyanga said that she feels free now to work for the people who reposed confidence in her after her resignation.
