Latest Governor in tussle with govt, Anusuiya Uikey is ex-Cong leader with list of tribal causes

The Congress first had a brush with Uikey eight months into her appointment as Governor when, in March 2020, she stood steadfast and ensured the appointment of the editor of RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya as the vice-chancellor of a university. In October 2020, she rejected the Congress government’s proposal to convene a special Assembly to introduce a Bill to circumvent the Centre’s three controversial farm legislation (which were later taken back by it).

As regards the quota Bills, which would increase reservation for SCs and STs, taking the total to 76% of total government posts and seats in educational institutions, in time for next year’s Assembly elections, Uikey has said there was no question of clearing the same till she got “proper answers” to 10 queries raised by her.

After accusing her of being “unconstitutional”, “egoistic” and “stalling the Bills at the behest of the BJP”, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called a mega rally in Raipur on Tuesday to show “people’s support for the Bills”.

These are not the first legislation passed by the Baghel government pending with Uikey either. At least five other Bills have been pending with her since 2020, relating to making the Cabinet the authority to decide vice-chancellors of five universities, instead of the Governor.

Rejecting the charge that this showed Uikey’s partisanship as Governor, a source in the Raj Bhavan said, “Since she became Governor, 82 Bills have come to her. She has passed 73 of them, or over 90%. She has strong reasons to stall the others.”

Born to an apolitical middle-class family in Chhindwara in undivided Madhya Pradesh, with six siblings besides her – their father worked as a patwari (record keeper) in the revenue department – Uikey did post-graduation in Economics and enrolled in law before getting involved in student politics. It was a big step for the family, as Uikey convinced her father to let her study further, staying in a tribal hostel and selling washing powder to meet her expenses, says an acquaintance.

In 1982, she joined as lecturer in a government college, but by 1985, she had taken the political plunge with the Congress, spotted reportedly by veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath (now the state party chief). That same year, a 28-year-old Uikey was elected from Damua, an ST reserved seat in Chhindwara, and soon after, became the youngest member of the Madhya Pradesh Council of Ministers, given the charge of Women and Child Development Ministry.

Underlining how confident she was even then, a former Congress leader from her hometown says, “When she was denied a ticket the next time by Kamal Nath (around 1990), she left the party.” A person close to her says she left the Congress as she felt she was “being dominated”.

A government official who was with her in college when she did her post-graduation and was also involved in student politics says Uikey had always been concerned with tribal rights. “In our college days back in 1979-1980, she protested and got a government bus to help girls travel to college from far-off places… She also worked tirelessly for implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act),” the official says, adding that Uikey has stayed away from controversy through her long career with “not a single blot” against her name.

Within the BJP, she was quickly made a member of the party’s National Council. A year later, in 1994, she became executive member of the BJP National Mahila Morcha, followed by national vice-president of its tribal front, and then a state office-bearer of the BJP Yuva Morcha. Later, she served as president of the Chhindwara Rural and Agriculture Development Bank (1999-2000), member of the National Commission for Women (2000-05) when she undertook issues of tribal women, president of the Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Tribe Commission (January 2006 till March 2006), vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (January 2017 to July 2019), and as member of a committee on SC/ST welfare. Between April 2006 and April 2012, she was a member of the Rajya Sabha, and of several parliamentary committees.

In 2019, Uikey was also briefly considered as a strong contender for the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat to take on Nakul Nath, the son of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

“Her hardship and accolades led our party members to discuss her name as the next President of India,” says BJP spokesperson Kedar Gupta. Eventually, the BJP went with another tribal face for the post, Droupadi Murmu.

The party has backed Uikey over the stalled Bills issue, accusing the Baghel government of “threatening” the Governor to get them passed.