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Lone woman minister resigns in Puducherry
An official at CMO said they have received the resignation letter but did not wish to elaborate on whether it has been accepted or rejected
Puducherry
Puducherry’s lone woman minister S Chandira Priyanga resigned on Tuesday from the AINRC-BJP coalition government, raising charges that she faced caste and gender discrimination. Priyanga is the transport minister in the 30-member assembly of the union territory.
A Dali woman, Priyanga sent her letter of resignation to the office of chief minister N Rangasamy. She was the first woman minister of Puducherry in 40 years and was sworn in in July 2021.
An official of the chief Minister’s office confirmed they have received the resignation letter but did not wish to elaborate on whether it has been accepted or rejected.
Priyanga was elected from Neduncadu, a reserved constituency for the Schedule Caste community, in Puducherry’s Karaikal. She posted a two-page statement on X (formerly Twitter) announcing her resignation.
“Though I entered the Assembly through people’s confidence, I realised that it is not so easy to overcome the politics of conspiracy,” she said in her statement. “I could not continue my fight against money power. I didn’t know that pride over my Dalit identity was the problem for others. I was being continuously subjected to caste and gender bias.”
She also said that she would respond to criticism by releasing a list of her achievements as a minister in the past two years.
“I am indebted to the people who elected me as a legislator,” she said. “But I resign my minister’s post as I realise that I cannot continuously fight against dominant forces. I apologise to my voters for resigning.”
She asked the chief minister to accept her resignation and appoint a person belonging to the Vanniyar, Dalit, or minority communities in her place and to ensure that all government welfare are implemented continuously without any pause in her constituency.
She did not respond to HT’s calls. The union territory government did not react to her letter of resignation and related charges.
