India’s parliament elected its first woman speaker yesterday, Meira Kumar, who is also a member of the casteless Dalit community also known as “untouchables.”
The event was hailed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a “historic occasion.”
Kumar, 64, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in India’s 543-seat lower house of parliament, which includes 59 women members of parliament (MP).
PHOTO: AFP
“For the first time a woman member has been elected speaker, and that, too, a woman from the Dalit community,” Singh said after Kumar had taken her seat of office.
“In electing you ... we members of parliament pay tribute to the women of our country and the great contribution that they have made,” he said.
A five-term MP, Kumar was a career diplomat who entered politics in 1985.
In this spring’s national polls, she was elected to parliament from the impoverished eastern state of Bihar.
Kumar had described her nomination as a “historic moment” for the country and an “overwhelming moment” for herself.
Her name was put forward by the Congress party following its resounding general election victory, which guaranteed that the party’s nominee for speaker would be elected.
In the event, Kumar was the only candidate and the opposition opted to go along with the choice.
The motion to elect Kumar was moved by Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and seconded by opposition leader L.K. Advani from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The media was supportive, with the Hindu newspaper saying that Kumar brought years of experience to the speaker’s office both as an MP and a minister.
“She seems to have the desired qualities of amiability, patience and commitment to fair play,” the Hindu said.
The task of the speaker in India’s often volatile parliament can be an onerous one.
Rather than debate a bill that they oppose, MPs often storm the well of the house in large numbers and disrupt proceedings until the speaker is forced to adjourn the session.
Earlier this week, premier Singh had urged MPs from all parties to observe a “new beginning” and allow parliament to function smoothly and without unnecessary interruption.
Political analyst Neerja Choudhury said Kumar’s nomination was a “conscious decision” on the part of Congress to strengthen its support base among India’s 160 million Dalits.
In recent years, many Dalit voters have switched their support to regional parties.
Shunned by society, Dalits generally perform the lowliest occupations, including scavenging on rubbish dumps, and are the poorest in terms of income, literacy and land.
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