All India Mahila Congress

Mahila Congress
Abbreviation AIMC
President Sushmita Dev, MP
Founded 15 September 1984 (1984-09-15)
Headquarters 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi 110001[1]
Ideology
Political position Centre-left[2]
International affiliation
Colours      Sky blue[5][6]
Election symbol
Website
www.aimc.in

The All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), also referred to as Mahila Congress, is the women’s wing of the Indian National Congress Party. Sushmita Dev, MP is the current President.[7][8][9]

In the beginning, Mahila Congress was more of a social organization, rather than a political one, carrying out various activities of women and child welfare like setting up of an All India Society for Welfare of Women and Children called “ROSHINI”, to render voluntary services in health, education, and preventive care etc. to women of neglected and overcrowded localities along with a centre for training of women in tailoring and handicrafts. All India Society for the Welfare of Women and Children under the umbrella of the Mahila Congress was registered in May, 1984. “ROSHINI” participated in the relief work provided by Mahila Congress after the national calamities. A project called “MAMTA” was also launched to start crèche or day care centres for the children of working mothers. Legal Aid for women or Law wing was inaugurated on 18 April 1984. Law wing organized conferences on women related issues.

Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Rajendra Kumari Bajpai to look into the constitution and functioning of All India Mahila Congress and to make suggestions to revitalize and strengthen it in the light of Smt. Meira Kumar’s report of a committee which was appointed to go into the structure, functioning and status of All India Mahila Congress and to review the interrelationship of all the Frontal Organizations and Cells as well as their relationship with the parent body.

History

Pre-independence

  • In 1907 On 21st August at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, Bhikaiji Cama raised and unfurled what she called the “First flag of Independence”.
  • In 1911 Annie Besant along with Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya helped establish what we today know as the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
  • In 1916 Annie Besant established the Indian Home Rule League at Adyar madras.
  • In 1917 Annie Besant was elected the first woman president of the Indian National Congress.
  • In 1918 from 26 to 31 August, Bombay Congress Session, Sarojini Naidu put forward proposal for women’s right to vote. It was passed in the Aligarh session of the Congress with virtually no dissent.
  • In 1925 Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman to occupy the position of president of the Indian National Congress.
  • In 1926 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was the first woman candidate for the legislative assembly.
  • In 1937 Vijaya Laxmi Pandit was elected to the United Provinces legislature and became the first woman in India to hold a cabinet post.
  • In 1940 Sucheta Kriplani became the first head of the Women’s department of the Congress.
  • In 1942, Usha Mehta organized and hoisted the Indian Flag at a rally when most of the senior leaders, including Gandhi were arrested.
  • In 1942, Usha Mehta Established a clandestine radio station which broadcast messages from Gandhi and other leaders, called Secret Congress Radio.
  • In 1942, Aruna Asaf Ali was dubbed as the heroine of 1942 movement for her bravery in the face of danger and is popularly known to have hoisted the flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay.
  • In 1942, Matangini Hazra, a widow aged 72, picked up the Congress flag (Sept 29, 1942) in Midnapore, WB, and led a battalion in the name of Gandhi and attacked the symbols of power – police station and courts.
  • In 1942, Captain Lakshmi Sehgal was made in charge of establishing and leading the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, comprising women soldiers.
  • In 1945-46, Hansa Mehta became the President of All India Women's Conference and in her presidential address at the All India Women`s Conference convention held in Hyderabad, she proposed a Charter of Women`s Rights.
  • In 1946, A newly formed constituent assembly came together to debate and draft a constitution for a soon-to-be Independent India. Among the 299 India, 15 were women who had either been voted or chosen to represent their provinces.

Post-independence

Early Years

Foundation

It was given a separate entity in 1983, with the status of a Frontal Organization of the AICC from a Women’s Cell or a Women’s Wing of 1952. A meeting of Congresswomen attending the AICC session was held at Shanmugam Hall, Bombay on 21 October 1983 along with the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. A meeting of the State Conveners of the Congress Women’s Front was also held during the AICC Session with Rajiv Gandhi,the then General Secretary, AICC.

Smt. Begum Abida Ahmed was the Chairperson of the Cell and Smt. Margaret Alwa was the Convener. A Constitution Review Committee was constituted to make its functioning more dynamic. The members of the Committee were: Smt. Begum Abida Ahmed, MP, Chairperson Women’s Front; Smt. Margaret Alva, MP, Convener, Women’s Front; Miss Mehmooda Begum, Joint Secretary AICC; Smt. Sunanda Bandari, Advocate; Smt. Vidyawati Chaturvedi, MP (Former) Chairperson Women’s Wing; and Smt. M. Chandrasekhar, MP, Member Parliamentary Board. A provision was made to start a membership drive separately.

Just before the Plenary Session in Calcutta, Mahila Congress new Headquarters was inaugurated at No. 1, Talkatora Road, New Delhi on 17 November 1983. A 2-day National Convention of Mahila Congress was held at Bangalore on 15–16 September 1984. A new Constitution was approved and adopted at the Convention to convert the Congress Mahila Cell into a Frontal Organization and name it as All India Mahila Congress. The All India Mahila Congress started functioning as an independent Frontal Organization with the approval of AICC President from 1984 at National Level and spread to State, District, Mandal and Block level.

Modern Era

  • In 1992 the one-third reservation for women in Panchayati Raj came through during Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao’s tenure, as Indian National Congress Prime Minister. India is one of the few countries in the world to have this (put the number of women who are currently are elected to PRI’s)
  • In 2007 Smt. Pratibha Patil became the first woman President of India.
  • In 2009, during the tenure of UPA II, Smt. Meira Kumar was elected unopposed as the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
  • In 2010, The Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB), which gives 33.33% (1/3rd) reservation for women at all levels of Indian politics, was passed by an overwhelming majority in the Rajya Sabha.
  • In 2017, Mahila Congress ran a nationwide drive for signatures for #WomenFor33% Campaign and urged the National Democratic Alliance government to not only pass the bill in Parliament but also implement it before 2019 general elections.
  • On 20 Sep, 2017, Sonia Gandhi, the then President Indian National Congress, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to bring the 'WRB to floor at earliest, promising bipartisan support on this Bill.
  • On 21 Sep, 2017, AIMC has collected 32 Lac+ signatures Country wide under the Signature Campaign.
  • On 23 Oct, 2017, AIMC President Sushmita Dev led a delegation of MC team and met Hon'ble President of India with a Petition requesting his support for #WomenFor33% to be tabled and passed in Parliament in the next session.
  • On 31 Oct, 2017, Mahila Congress delegations submitted a demand to the Prime Minister with local DC asking PM to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill.
  • On 19 Nov, 2017, All Pradesh Mahila Congress delegations led by their Presidents wrote to their Chief Ministers, requesting his support in urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce and pass the WRB in upcoming Session of Parliament.
  • On 9 Dec, 2017, All Pradesh Mahila Congress delegations led by their Presidents Protested against the State Chief Ministers who did not grant them an audience for meeting regarding WRB in November.
  • On 8 Mar, 2018, All India Mahila Congress Protested against govt outside parliament under the leadership of AIMC President Sushmita Dev.

List of previous presidents

Year Name Place
1983–1988 Begum Abida Ahmed Uttar Pradesh
1988–1990 Jayanti Patnaik Odisha
1990–1993 Kumudben Joshi Gujarat
1993–1998 Girija Vyas Rajasthan
1998–1999 Ambika Soni Lahore, British India (now in Pakistan)
1999-2003 Chandresh Kumari Rajasthan
2003–2008 Rita Bahuguna Joshi Uttrakhand
2008-2011 Prabha Thakur Rajasthan
2011–2013 Anita Verma Himachal Pradesh
2013–2017 Shobha Thomas Oza Madhya Pradesh
2017–Current Sushmita Dev Assam

Structure and Composition

Committees

It is a four Tier Organisation. Given below is a descending order of committees. All India Mahila Congress - Organisation:

  • The National Council
  • The Pradesh/ Territorial Mahila Congress Committees
  • The District/ City Mahila Congress Committee
  • The Block/ Ward Mahila Congress Committee.

State and Territorial Units

The regional units are known as Pradesh Mahila Congress Committees or simply PMCs.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rent relief unlikely for Congress's Delhi properties | India News - Times of India". M.timesofindia.com. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  2. ↑ Saez, Lawrence; Sinha, Aseema (2010). "Political cycles, political institutions and public expenditure in India, 1980–2000". British Journal of Political Science. 40 (01): 91–113. doi:10.1017/s0007123409990226.
  3. ↑ "Progressive Alliance Participants". Progressive Alliance. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Full Member Parties of Socialist International". Socialist International.
  5. ↑ "India General (Lok Sabha) Election 2014 Results". mapsofindia.com.
  6. ↑ "Election Results India, General Elections Results, Lok Sabha Polls Results India - IBNLive". in.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Marwaha, Nonika (9 September 2017). "Sushmita Dev Appointed As The Chief Of Mahila Congress". New Delhi: NDTV. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Sushmita Dev new Mahila Congress chief". The Hans India. 10 Sep 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Silchar MP Sushmita Dev replaces Shobha Oza as Mahila Congress head". The Indian Express. PTI. 9 Sep 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
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