For the first time in the 134-year-old history of the Indian National Congress, a transgender activist, Apsara Reddy, has been appointed as the National General Secretary of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC).
The party’s official Twitter handle tweeted the good news.
Apsara Reddy, a former well-known journalist, was previously associated with AIADMK and BJP for a short time. As a journalist she had also taken up high-profile cases of child rape and created a media sensation in Tamil Nadu.
When asked about the reasons for leaving BJP, she said that she was only seen as a ‘photo opportunity’ there every Women’s Day.
She spoke to News18 about her feelings on joining Congress. She said:
“All my life, transgender women have been told that you’ll never be able to make it in your life. To be welcomed into one of India’s largest and oldest national parties is hugely emotional for me.”