NEW DELHI: Sheila Dikshit was pitched to lead from the front every time the Congress was in need. Impressed with her social activities in the early 1970s, former PM Indira Gandhi nominated her to the United Nations Commission on Status of Women. Gandhi saw her for the first time during a meeting with Uma Shankar Dikshit, the father-in-law of Sheila, who was a minister in her Cabinet. Dikshit represented India at United Nations Commission on Status of Women for five years till 1989.
Before emerging as tallest leader on city’s political arena, Dikshit served at the Centre in various capacities from 1984 to 1989 as a member of Estimates Committee and later as minister first in parliamentary affairs ministry and in PMO. After losing in 1989, Dikshit spent a few years in exile after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. She made a comeback after Sonia Gandhi became the Congress chief.
When the Congress needed a state unit leader in Delhi, Dikshit was brought out from wilderness and made the Delhi Congress chief and later the CM. Her detractors tagged her as an ‘outsider’. However, she only emerged as stronger and taller leader with every electoral victory. After serving the city for 15 years, one of her regrets was that the first-time voters took Delhi’s infrastructure and growth for granted.
“A considerable chunk of voters, who were casting ballot for the first time, had not seen the Delhi of 15 years ago. To them a Delhi with regular power, flyovers and Metro rail, as well as several new universities, was their ‘natural right’ and therefore taken for granted. They could not be expected to feel ecstatic about it,” Dikshit wrote in her autobiography.
rare slips
Though a respected leader, Dikshit drew flak on rare occasions such as granting parole to convicted murderer Manu Sharma