Anusree Jana, Kolkata : Sheila Dikshit former chief minister of Union Territory Delhi and one of the senior leaders of Congress Party died yesterday due to cardiac arrest on 20th July.
Sheila Dikshit was an excellent leader, politician, administrator and a passionate feminist. She had quite a long list of achievements to her name and long career in Indian politics and administration. Her death is acutely felt throughout the country be that of her party or opposition party or people outside politics.
Sheila’s one of the widely known titles was that of the Chief Minister of Union Territory Delhi. She had been Chief Minister of Delhi from 1998-2013 and that is 15 years, quite a long period. She was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi and longest-serving female Chief Minister of any Indian state as of now. According to her colleague and peer Sonia Gandhi, Sheila worked with a vision and staunch dedication towards the betterment of Delhi as a safe territory for its people. She did quite a good job on it and the fact is unquestionable even among the opposition party of BJP, as is evident in the clear respect for her work in our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi‘s words-‘she made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi’s development’.
Another one of the titles was Sheila as a member of the Indian Congress Party and she was attached to the title till her death. She was one of the senior workers in the party and senior-most in Delhi unit. Before her death, she served as President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee under party president Rahul Gandhi. Her loss will be deeply felt as ‘she was a beloved daughter of the Congress Party’- Rahul Gandhi.
Sheila Dikshit was a lot of things and a great administrator was one that stuck quite brightly to her. As was proved by her work not only in years as Chief Minister but also in other works throughout her time. She had been a Member of Indian delegation of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women from 1984–89 and also her short stint as a Governor of Kerala. Former President Pranab Mukherjee certainly thinks so- “I knew her even before she entered politics, it’s a great loss to the nation, they have lost an able administrator and a fine leader.”
Dikshit started her political career in 1984 and since then she served in various posts. Her portfolio was quite lengthy-Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs(1984–1989), Member of Parliament(Kannauj 1984–1989), Member of Legislative Assembly (Gole Market 1998–2008), Member of Legislative Assembly(New Delhi 2008-2013) and to add her time as Chief Minister for Delhi.
She was a versatile and skilled woman as is very clearly evident by the astounding fact that between 1984 to 1989, she had been engaged in at least three post- MP, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and also Member of Indian delegation of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Sheila was a staunch supporter of her fellow Indian women. In the early 1970s, she was the chairperson of the Young Women’s Association and was a significant force in setting up two of the most successful hostels for working women in Delhi. There was also the instance of Uttar Pradesh where she and her 82 colleagues were jailed in August 1990 for 23 days by the state government as she led a movement against the atrocities committed on women.
People who came in contact with her remember her not only as a great leader but mostly as a warm and affable person. It seems her successful career did not make her seem anything other than warm as is wholeheartedly agreed by people from different places. On her death, the whole nation mourns the loss of such an unforgettable personality.
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