Annamalai Advocates 50% Women in State Cabinet at Chennai Event
Former BJP leader K. Annamalai, founder of the ‘We The Leaders’ movement, called for women to comprise half of the State Cabinet during an event held at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai on Friday. Speaking at the gathering, he advocated for greater political representation for women across Tamil Nadu.
While appreciating the TVK-led government for appointing more women to Cabinet berths than past administrations, Mr. Annamalai said his aspiration was to establish a Cabinet with 50% women when his movement came to power. He noted that while the Cabinet initially had only one woman and numbers gradually rose, there should be at least 17 to 18 women ministers in the State Cabinet.
During the ceremony, Mr. Annamalai presented the Kamarajar Awards to women achievers from across various districts. The recipients included Carnatic classical violinist C.S. Chinmayi, yoga instructor R. Punitha Valli, and aerospace engineering student Dhaanvi Karthikeyan, all representing Chennai.
Honourees from other parts of Tamil Nadu included Sister Rosily from Kanniyakumari district, Alert NGO founder-trustee Kala Balasundaram from Coimbatore district, mountaineer Muthamilselvi Narayanan from Virudhunagar district, and IT professional-turned organic farmer Jeevitha from Cuddalore district. Awards were also presented to Villupattu artist M. Madhavi from Tenkasi district, Popular’s Sevak Trust founder A. Fathima from Tirunelveli district, and student-palmyra tree climber P. Harris Karishma from Villupuram district.
P. Krishnaveni, former president of the Thalaiyuthu panchayat in Tirunelveli district from the Dalit community, who was previously attacked by a gang, was also chosen to receive the Kamarajar Award. As she could not attend in person, she sent a recorded video message to the gathering.
Emphasising the need to prepare women for governance, Mr. Annamalai highlighted the importance of political training. He announced that an all-women team is scheduled to undergo training at his Kalam Centre on October 15.
