FIRST WOMEN CM INDIA

Sucheta Kriplani [1904-1974]

Intro :

            Sucheta Kriplani, India’s first woman chief minister, was a fearless fighter for the country’s independence.

         Born on 25 June 1908, Sucheta’s keen interest in politics took root at a young age, when British rule was at its peak.

         “I could understand enough to feel great anger against the British. We vented out anger on some of the Anglo-Indian children who played with us, (her and her sister) calling them all kinds of names,” she recalled in her autobiography, Sucheta: An Unfinished Biography.

Gandhi’s disciple :

           After she graduated from Indraprastha College in Delhi, Sucheta decided to participate in the freedom movement and became one of Mahatma Gandhi’s closest disciples.

                 In 1936, she married Acharya Kriplani, 20 years her senior. It is said Gandhi initially opposed the marriage because of this age difference, but upon Sucheta’s protests and insistence, Even though she considered themselves staunch Gandhians, Sucheta never feared taking a political stance that differed from her husband’s. A harsh critic of Jawaharlal Nehru, Acharya broke away from the Congress and founded his own party, the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, in 1951. Sucheta followed, but only briefly.

                          By 1957, she won from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, but on a Congress ticket. She had switched back from her husband’s party because of ideological differences.

First woman CM :

             Finally, in 1963 — even before Indira Gandhi took office — she became chief minister of the United Provinces (present day Uttar Pradesh), which she ruled until 1967. It was a remarkable feat given the small number of women in politics during her time, and she maintained a reputation for being a firm administrator.

                 During her tenure, state employees went on a hunger strike demanding a pay hike. Sucheta refused, until 62 days later, when the leaders of the agitation were ready to compromise.

                     After her tenure in the government got over, Sucheta continued to serve the nation, retiring only in 1971 — three years before her death on 1 December, 1974.