BANGALORE : The State Cabinet lacks representation for women, after the resignation of Minister for Panchayatraj and Rural Development Shobha Karandlaje. As of now, even Yeddyurappa is not that keen in having another lady minister in his cabinet. In fact even the erstwhile Kumaraswamy government had not given representation to women in the cabinet.
Shobha could make way into the cabinet for the sole reason that she was close to the Chief Minister.
The first lady minister of the state was teacher Gracy who was the deputy minister for education in the Nijalingappa government in 1957. Later on, in the BD Jatti government, Leelavathi V Magadi served as Deputy Minister for Rural Industries.
In the SR Kanti government in 1962, Yashodhara Dasappa was the social welfare minister of cabinet rank. Women legislators were given portfolios of lesser importance in the Congress and BJP-JD(S) governments that have ruled the state.
If Manorama Madhwaraj, Shivashantha Chature, A Pushpavathi, BT Lalitha Naik,Motamma, Bhagirathi were given women and child welfare portfolio, BT Lalitha Naik, Leelavathi R Prasad and Rani Satish had been ministers for Kannada and Culture.
Manorama Madhwaraj after serving for long was given portfolios such as food and civil supplies and heavy and small industries. But, as if a step ahead from her predecessors, Shobha Karandlaje could get the vital panchayatraj and rural development portfolio which she held for 18 months.
The highest number of lady ministers were in the SM Krishna cabinet in 1999. If Motamma was a cabinet rank minister, Suma Vasanth, Rani Satish and Nafeeza Fazal were ministers of state rank.
Though there is a hope that MLCs Vimala Gowda or Bharathi Shetty might get a cabinet berth under the stewardship of the central coordination committee shortly, there is no doubt that even in that case, the ladies might have to be satisfied with portfolios of lesser significance.
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