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This is an archive article published on May 22, 2011

State gets first tribal minister

The 28-year-old MLA,a university-level champion archer,was picked after the Congress leadership insisted on a woman in the cabinet. From the Kurichia tribe,Jayalakshmi is the only woman legislator in the 72-member ruling front.

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Young Congress legislator P K Jayalakshmi has made history in Kerala as the first minister from a tribal community.

A legislator from the Scheduled Tribes had never been reckoned for a ministers post as the community forms only 1.4 per cent of the state population against the Scheduled Castes 9.8 per cent.

The 28-year-old MLA,a university-level champion archer,was picked after the Congress leadership insisted on a woman in the cabinet. From the Kurichia tribe,Jayalakshmi is the only woman legislator in the 72-member ruling front.

A member of a village panchayat in Wayanad district,Jayalakshmi is a graduate in English and diploma-holder in computer science. She joined the Congress through student outfit Kerala Students Union.

The candidature and the cabinet berth are unexpected developments in my life. I got the ticket to contest the election at the behest of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi. I would try my best to discharge any duty assigned by the chief minister, said Jayalakshmi.

 

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