Despite odds, women panchayat leaders in Tamil Nadu soldier on

CHENNAI: Sujatha Ramesh has many things going against her -- she is a woman leader in rural Tamil Nadu where patriarchal norms persist, a Scheduled Caste president of Poothur panchayat in Tiruvallur district where caste bias is a reality , and a widow. But she refuses to be considered an “adimai” (slave), in her words, to the local union councillor, with whom she has frequent run-ins.
Her husband Ramesh was an active and enthusiastic panchayat president till he succumbed to cancer two years ago. Backed by family, Sujatha stood for the election and won. As president, she is now paid a salary of Rs 1,000 and runs a tailoring business to supplement her income.
Her day begins at 6.30am. She meets villagers in her office and on the streets, and tries to find solutions to issues ranging from water problems to illegal sand mining in the area. Despite the odds stacked against her, Sujatha takes pride in her role. “I received an award recently from the collector for implementing a health scheme in my village,” she says.
As governments change and the battle for autonomy for local bodies rages, there is a quiet revolution taking place in the panchayats in Tamil Nadu. Buoyed by 33% reservation, women panchayat leaders are standing up to political parties, tackling land disputes, and doing much more, alongside managing their homes Education and training initiatives by the state government and NGOs are helping women panchayat leaders grow from strength to strength. However, gender and caste biases and political pressures are forcing many to quit.
Among the first states to bring in the reservation for women in local bodies following the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments, Tamil Nadu should now be seeing many of these local leaders graduate to higher levels Of the more than 4,000 women panchayat presidents in the state many may take on “more useful and powerful roles” in the future at the village level and perhaps even in the union council, says Ossie Fernandes, director, Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation, an NGO.
Only a few of these grassroots champions, however, stand a decent chance of bagging tickets for the upcoming assembly elections based on their resume ­ high-level party politics is still a male show. But many soldier on.
Kasthuri, 42, of Sinnandivalasai panchayat in Ramanathapuram district has been the president since 2006. Her rivals have filed baseless complaints against her, and, recently, attempted to sabotage the water supply to the village. She single-handedly worked towards ensuring water supply. Subsequently, a tank was built in the village under a state government scheme.
There is also the common perception that women leaders are often 'dummy candidates' who stand for elections on behalf of their husbands. Ossie Fernandes and his associate N Chithra have been working with women panchayat leaders for a decade.
“In more than 50% of the cases, the women stand for elections for their male relatives or for that caste to stay in power. But now there are some dynamic young leaders, who have even contested in the general category and won.”
Programme leader for Madurai-based DHAN Foundation's panchayat programme S Singarayar has interacted with 655 women panchayat leaders from Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam in the last few years. “When we started out, less than 5% of the women leaders knew and understood their role. With support and training, more than 300 women leaders now function independently,“ he says.
Chandra Pichai, the 54-year old president of Thirali panchayat in Madurai, got villagers to pay taxes and has worked to wards getting insurance coverage for them. “She can handle a crowd of 450-500 people by herself. When she talks, people listen,” says Singarayar.
Yet, despite the burgeoning enthusiasm, the lack of autonomy for panchayats in Tamil Nadu eventually takes its toll. Schemes implemented by the previous government are discontinued by the ruling party (and this has been the case for decades).
“Panchayat elections here are not party-based but it is an open secret that those leaders who are close to certain MPs and MLAs have access to funds,” says Singarayar.
In Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala 50% of the seats in local bodies and panchayats are reserved for women.
The Kerala government also offers greater autonomy for panchayats, structured training and support, salary between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000, perks such as official vehicle and fuel.