Women representing various political parties including Government officials expressed mixed reactions over the appointment of Rajni Rawat as vice-president of the Uttarakhand State Commission for Women.
A woman Government official said that Rajni Rawat has been in politics for the past many years and she can take measures for the redress of issues pertaining to women and children effectively.
However, former chairperson of State’s Women Commission Sushila Baluni questioned Congress-led State Government’s intention in appointing transgender Rawat as vice-president of the commission.
The post of president in the commission remained vacant for around two years and now the Government has foisted Rawat as its vice-president. “It proves how callous the Government is over the problems the women have been facing here,” she said.
The women commission official said that two posts of vice-president in the commission are now being occupied. So, the Government would have to go for the creation of the third post to accommodate Rawat.
Citing how the commission acts, another State Woman Commission official said she had sent several notices to one of the private institute heads against whom a woman had registered a complaint with the commission. The institute head has not responded yet. However, things would hopefully change for the better now with Rajni Rawat being at the helm of the commission as a vice-president.
“Her experiences in the realm of politics would help the commission a lot,” she said. Uttarakhand Kranti Dal leader Pramila Rawat said with Congress having in its folds so many accomplished women leaders, the State Government should have selected one of them for the important post. “The Government foisting Rawat is a bad move,” she said, adding that she can hardly understand and empathise with the plight of the suffering women.
She further said she had been favoured with the post perhaps she is wealthy. Transgender Rawat should have been accommodated in some other committee. “That would have helped the community to be integrated to the mainstream,” she said.
Transgender Rawat, a resident of Pauri, Garhwal, enjoys a large following among the people of Dehradun and adjoining districts. Rajni had stunned the people by contesting the Dehradun Mayoral polls in 2008 and securing over 44,000 votes.
She also edged past the Congress candidate, who came up third. In the 2013 mayoral polls, the number of votes for Rajni, a BSP candidate, went up to over 46,000, but Rawat came third behind BJP and Congress candidates.
Rawat had considered contesting the 2009 lok Sabha elections from Tehri against Vijay Bahuguna, but was convinced not to do so by a senior State leader.