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Sheila Dikshit

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Sheila Dikshit
Chief Minister of Delhi
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 December 1998
Preceded bySushma Swaraj
Member of Legislative Assembly
New Delhi
Gole Market (1998-2008)
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 December 1998
Preceded byKirti Azad
Member of Parliament
Kannauj
In office
1984–89
Preceded byChhotey Singh Yadav
Succeeded byChhotey Singh Yadav
Member of Indian delegation
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
In office
1984–89
Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Personal details
Born (1938-03-31) 31 March 1938 (age 86)
Kapurthala, Punjab Province, British India
Political partyIndian National Congress
SpouseVinod dikshit (deceased)
ChildrenSandeep and Latika
Alma materUniversity of Delhi
As of 13 August, 2012
Source: Government of Delhi

Sheila Dikshit (born 31 March 1938) is an Indian politician who has served as Chief Minister of Delhi since 1998. She is a member of the Indian National Congress and has led the party to a record three consecutive electoral victories in Delhi. Dikshit represents the New Delhi constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi.

Early years

Sheila Dikshit was born in Kapurthala in the Punjab state of India. She was educated at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in New Delhi and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in history from the Miranda House at the University of Delhi.[1] Dikshit was married to late Vinod Dikshit from Unnao District (Unnao), UP, who had worked in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).[2]

Vinod Dikshit was son of independence activist and former West Bengal Governor Late Uma Shankar Dikshit, who belonged to Ugoo village of Unnao.[3]
Dikshit has two children including a son, Sandeep Dikshit, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) from East Delhi as a representative of the Indian National Congress.[2]

Professional Career

Dikshit became Chairperson of the Young Women's Association and was instrumental in setting up two of the most successful hostels for working women in Delhi during the 1970s.[2] She later worked as executive secretary

Political career

During the period between 1984 and 1989, she represented Kannauj Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh. As a member of Parliament, she served on the Estimates Committee of Lok Sabha. Dikshit also chaired the Implementation Committee for Commemoration of Forty Years of India's Independence and Jawaharlal Nehru centenary. She represented India at United Nations Commission on Status of Women for five years (1984–1989).

She has also served as a Union Minister during 1986–1989, first as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and later as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. She was shortlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award.[4] As Chief Minister of Delhi, Dikshit was awarded the Best Chief Minister of India, by Journalist Association of India on 12 July 2008. In 2009, she was awarded Politician of the Year by NDTV.[citation needed].Chief Minister of Delhi Smt.Sheila Dikshit also Awarded for Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Awards 2013, ASSOCHAM Ladies League for Outstanding Public Service.

Contributions

She represented India on the U.N. Commission on Status of Women for five years (1984–89). In Uttar Pradesh, she and her 82 colleagues were jailed in August 1990 for 23 days by the state government when she led a movement against the atrocities being committed on women. Electrified by this, hundreds of thousands of citizens all over UP joined the movement and courted arrest. Earlier, in the early 1970s, she was chairperson of the Young Women's Association and was instrumental in the setting up two of most successful hostels for working women in Delhi.

She is also the Secretary of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.[citation needed].

Controversies

Corruptions Involved

In 2009, Delhi lokayukta investigated a complaint filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, a BJP worker, saying that Dikshit misused Rs 3.5 crore received from the Central government under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana to give out personal advertisements.[5] The lokayukta later dropped the corruptions claims.[5][6] The complainant then sought to book Dikshit under the Representation of People’s Act, claiming she had been "misrepresenting facts" about the flats her government had built for the urban poor.[5] It was ruled by the lokayukta that the government actions did not fall foul of the act but it will try to book her under the Section 2 (b) of the Act that stipulates adherence to norms of conduct and integrity expected of "public functionaries".[5] The case is now nearing a verdict with the final arguments having begun.

Dikshit has hit back at the lokayukta, stating: "[lokayukta] can't be the sole judge of what is unethical" and the anti-graft watchdog should "limit itself to core corruption issues".[6]

In August 2013 the obdusmen court ordered the police to register an FIR against her. [7]

Commonwealth Games

Dikshit was accused of corruption regarding the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report allegedly blamed her for irregularities in imported equipment for street lighting in the city during the games. Delhi chief secretary PK Tripathi stated that the Chief Minister played no part in awarding contracts for street lighting in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games.[8]

Parole to Manu Sharma

On November 2009, Dikshit came under criticism for granting parole to Manu Sharma after media reports of him visiting night clubs in Delhi emerged. Manu Sharma is accused of murdering Jessica Lal and serving life sentence. Dikshit defended her decision to sign the parole papers, declaring nothing "illegal or unlawful" was done in extending the benefit to the prisoner. The Delhi high court claimed she had given preferential treatment to Sharma in granting parole while neglecting such pleas of "poor" people languishing in jail for years. Asked about the high court's criticism of the decision, Dikshit justified her position, saying "whatever files I receive, they come through proper channels."[9] Dikshit pointed out Delhi Lt governor Tejinder Khanna, stating that he had not objected to the parole papers and had cleared the file paving way for Sharma's parole.[9]


References

  1. ^ "Sheila Dikshit: Profile". Express India. 10 December 2003. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "The Chief Minister". Government of Delhi. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Sheila Dikshit: Profile". Hindustan Times. 30 January 2012.
  4. ^ Helen Zille, Mayor of Cape Town, wins the 2008 World Mayor Prize By Tann vom Hove, Editor
  5. ^ a b c d "Censure Dikshit, Delhi lokayukta to President of India". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Sheila Dikshit questions Lokayukta's power". Times of India. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  7. ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-01/delhi/41661918_1_sheila-dikshit-court-orders-fir-advertisement-campaign
  8. ^ "Commonwealth Games fiasco: Government's auditor faults Sheila too". 3 August 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Nothing illegal or unlawful in Manu Sharma parole: Sheila Dikshit". 28 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
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Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of the Delhi
1998–current 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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