Transgender social activist Apsara Reddy has been appointed as the National General Secretary of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC). The appointment was made Tuesday by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Apsara, who was with the BJP earlier, quit the party within a month citing BJP’s ‘regressiveness’.
Following her appointment, Apsara said, “I come from a background where I was exposed to many prejudices and injustices quite early on. The hypocrisy and discrimination only motivated me to work against injustice. India is being governed by forces that place far more importance on religious identity than the rights and dignity of women. Congress is truly a party that built India and sustained us for generations with good policy and a sensitive and inclusive approach in governance. Rahul Gandhi’s commitment to the fair representation of women, women-centric manifesto goals and dynamism are truly inspiring and I would be delighted to serve women across the country under his leadership.”
Her reason for quitting the BJP was due to the party’s ‘regressiveness’ when she said, “BJP is regressive and has no place for free-thinking individuals.”
After quitting the BJP, she joined the AIADMK under late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa and was made the party’s national spokesperson in 2016. After Jayalalitha’s death, she moved to the Sasikala camp.
She also raised the Transgender Bill issue and said, “BJP government has this patronising attitude towards us. We don’t need charity, we need assistance to bridge the inequality meted out to us for far too long. They use words like rehabilitation. What the community truly needs is education and equal opportunity. Most importantly political recognition.”
