Meet Apsara Reddy, first transgender woman to be made National Secretary of Mahila Congress

Apsara says political recognition such as this by the Congress goes to show that Rahul Gandhi looks at us as a talent-pool and a worthy skill-set

NEW DELHI: Apsara Reddy, a former transgender journalist and an activist, was appointed as the National General Secretary, All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) by Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. She was appointed as the National Secretary in the presence of Lok Sabha MP and AIMC President, Sushmita Dev. As a transgender woman, Apsara has been involved in social activism through her college days and also has taken up high-profile cases of Child Rape in Tamil Nadu. Reddy initially joined BJP after meeting Amit Shah. She quit within a month’s time as she says, “BJP is regressive and has no place for free-thinking individuals.” Apsara was offered National Spokesperson’s role by J. Jayalalithaa, Former CM of Tamil Nadu and she had continued in that role till she had differences with the faction-ridden AIADMK.

Apsara Reddy has been appointed the first transgender National General Secretary of @MahilaCongress by Congress President @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/qDTZSgaoMH

— Congress (@INCIndia) January 8, 2019

Apsara says, “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 ji’s commitment to 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.” Being a woman, Apsara feels is a blessing and says, “Over 40% of Indian women according to the Human Development Report’s Gender Inequality Index suffer abuse, neglect or violence at the hands of their husbands or family members. Girl child rape is at an all-time high. To protect women from crimes and abuse we need to embolden their voices, frame policies that push for intervention and strengthen our social justice mechanisms.” Making a point about the Transgender Bill, Apsara says, “BJP government has this patronizing 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.” Laying out her plans as the newly appointed General Secretary, she says, “I will meet with a cross-section of women to address issues pertaining to their rights. This coming election I will campaign vociferously against BJP.” (agency inputs)