Even before the term came into use, AIADMK matriarch and former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa was trolled incessantly, both within her own political party, and by the opposition, simply for being a woman.
Even today, across the world, politics continues to be a male-dominated field, with barely a handful of women in positions of power across Indian political history.
When her guide and mentor MGR passed away, she was harassed by men for simply sitting beside his body. During his funeral, she was repeatedly assaulted physically. Her foray into active politics, many say, was triggered by this very incident.
The attack on her was symbolic of the fact that her place in the party was not assured, and that she did not belong in the party. Scores of people simply looked on, when she was being assaulted by the mob.
Only a handful of supporters convinced her to not quit politics, and fight on. A visibly “disgusted” Jayalalithaa took up the task and in under a year, consolidated power in the party and rose to the position of the party’s leader. Her political journey began, and so did her fight against misogyny.
Then again in 1989, Amma walked into the assembly as an MLA, for the first time. She was accosted by DMK ministers, manhandled and physically assaulted. Her hair was pulled, and her saree torn.
While she had inherited DMK supremo Karunanidhi's rivalry from MGR, little did she expect to be attacked in the confines of the assembly, though.
The 'assembly incident' became a turning point in Jayalalitha's political career. She went on to become the CM in the next elections, and continued, to fight misogyny for the rest of her life, in her quest for power and for peace.
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