Bijoya Chakravarty: The firebrand warhorse among women politicians

Minakshi Mishra

(minakshimishra67@gmail.com)

Despite the egalitarian impulses inherent in a democratic polity, women are still shunned from occupying positions of power, a trend strongly seen in Politics notwithstanding Assam. Women voters in the state have expanded extensively, yet their political mobilization is not equivalent to that of men. Hence, women do not gain equitably in leadership roles whereas men continue to dominate the aspects of governance and power far more than that of women. In Assam, too, the situation is no different. Despite the unequal representation of women in politics, one name that stands out like a beacon of light is Smt. Bijoya Chakravarty, a former Member of Lok Sabha, has maintained a formidable reputation across the state as a woman of substance playing a pivotal role in the development of the state.

Although the Constitution of India grants equal rights to women and men, strong patriarchal traditions continue to dominate society. Even though Assam has always been liberal towards its women compared to the other states, women are still compiled to cross the formidable barriers in the road to their career growth. With the Central government awarding former MP and Assam's veteran politician Bijoya Chakravarty with India's fourth-highest civilian award, The Padma Shri 2021, on the eve of Republic Day celebrations, it was a collective honour for all the women of Assam.

This illustrious daughter of Assam was born to B.K. Thakur and Mukhyada Thakuron on 7 October 1939 in Baligaon Jorhat, Assam. A postgraduate with Masters of Arts in English literature, she received her education from Gauhati University and Banaras Hindu University. Later on, she married Jiten Chakravarty on 1 June 1965, and after a while, the couple became parents to a son and a daughter. Suman Haripriya, her daughter was elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly election in 2016 from the Hajo Vidhan Sabha constituency. The veteran politician suffered a tragic loss when her son, Ranajit Chakravarty, died in 2017 at the age of 49.

Her exceptional skills and understanding of the political arena catapulted her towards the political arena. She started her political career as the District Secretary of Janata Party in Mangaldoi (Assam) from 1977–1979. Later she joined the regional Asom Gana Parishad and served in the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1992. Soon she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Representing Gauhati in the 13th Lok Sabha elections (1999–2004), she won the seat as a Member of Parliament under BJP for the first time in 1999 and served as the Union Minister of State for Water Resources under Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP Government. She proved her mass appeal yet again when the BJP erroneously decided to field singer Dr Bhupen Hazarika in her place, causing protests from party workers and Dr Bhupen Hazarika himself despite losing the elections. Bijoya Chakravarty was back on the stage in the 2009 Lok Sabha election from the Gauhati seat. She conquered the polls in 2009 and 2014 for BJP. She also served as the National Vice-President of BJP in 2007. At present, she is a member of the BJP national executive body.

Smt Bijoya Chakravarty also served as an educationalist (1965-1992) and was an instrumental figure in conducting various training camps for women, notably in her hometown of Assam. She was associated with the Mahila Samities, NGOs and Assam Weavers' Association much before her foray into the political scene. As a conscientious woman in politics, she has worked for children welfare, education and health as well. Not a one to shy away from adverse situations, she has also courted arrests while conducting numerous social campaigns for women.

The GenNext would find it surprising that the firebrand lady in Assam's political arena is a keen writer, with an array of short stories, novels and poems to her name. Among the publications are her Assamese books Najal Phiringathi, Abhijan and Karagar.

Bijoya Chakravarty has also been an active member of the Writers Association from 1976-1981 and served as Secretary of District Mahila Samiti, Mangaldai from 1965 to 1977. She was also associated with the Praja Socialist Party. Bijoya Chakravarty was also an instrumental figure in inspiring farmers to adopt modern farming methods in rural areas of Assam.

Padmashri Bijoya Chakravarty also served as a freelance journalist who contributed articles on national, international, social and political issues under the pseudonym B.C. She has to her credit more than two hundred feature articles and write-ups on current affairs that she published in the newspaper "The Assam Tribune" during 1964-1968 as a regular columnist.

The old warhorse in Assam Politics is also a sportswoman of repute who holds several records and record-breaking performances in Assam Inter-College Sports Festivals, Gauhati University (1955-59), where she won the best athlete trophy for two years, 1955-57; She has also been a member of (i) Guwahati Health Club; (ii) Barkhetry Natyalaya Pragjyoti Sports Club; (iii) Weavers Club; (iv) Constitution Club; (v) Indigenous Sports Club; and (vi) Boys Club as well.

In her campaigns for BJP, she surprised everyone with her unbridled enthusiasm and danced to the tunes of the Assamese musical instruments "Dhol" and "Pepa". Despite being a septuagenarian, she traversed on foot on the dusty streets of Guwahati to point out the demerits of the UPA and Tarun Gogoi-led Congress state government. She won the admiration of thousands riding pillion with youngsters to woo her voters.

It has been more than four decades of an active political career for the octogenarian, and yet she remains an inspiring presence for the aspiring women who dream of leaving a mark in the political canvas of Assam. (PIB)