Are Promises On Poll Manifestos Enough For Ensuring Gender Minority Rights?

Is there a transition visible in the poll planks of the mainstream political parties? If not fully, the Karnataka election manifesto of Congress speaks of a new emerging reality. While the Supreme Court is hearing the rights of same-sex marriage, Congress promised an olive branch to transgender and other gender minorities. 

The Karnataka Congress manifesto of 2023 has promised one per cent job reservation for ‘gender minorities’ in the police force. The poll manifesto, ‘Sarve Janangada Shanthiya Thota’, which translates to 'Peaceful garden of all communities' and was released on Tuesday morning in Bengaluru in the presence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, state unit president DK Shivakumar and Chairman of the Manifesto Committee Dr Parameshwaraji, among other party leaders, reads, ‘To increase recruitment of women in Police Force to 33% of the total strength with at least 1% reservation for Gender Minorities’.

Making further promises on ensuring the constitutional rights and freedom of gender minorities, especially their access to public spaces, resources and freedom of expression, the poll manifesto states it will establish a Managalmukhi Welfare Board by allotting Rs 200 crores annually. It would provide all gender minorities up to Rs 2 lakhs as self-employment grants to take up small businesses. 

If voted to power, Congress will also conduct a Census of the transgender population to optimize the reach of welfare schemes and allow a fee waiver in higher education to the students of the community along with those of the Jogappa community. In the field of education, certain schemes will let them opt for special scholarships for pursuing higher education and appear for competitive examinations. 

The manifesto also states that the grand old party will facilitate getting ration cards, voter IDs, other identity cards, and other citizen services to transgender people. 

However, this is not the first time Congress was found to be vocal about the rights of the transgender community. 

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha, the Congress said that they would amend significant laws, promising to deliver on social justice and ensured an entire section for LGBTQIA+ matters in the manifesto. It promised that it would withdraw the Transgender Bill and direct government offices to sensitise officials on gender issues. A part of the manifesto stated, “Congress recognises the sexual diversity among people and promises equality and equal protection of the laws to people with different sexual identities.”

“We will direct that gender sensitivity training, especially for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, be made mandatory in all government departments and organisations including the Armed Forces and the Police Forces,” the party promised in the manifesto. 

The manifesto further elaborated that it would bring a Bill that would be consistent with the judgment in the NALSA case.“Congress promises to ensure the effective implementation of the judgment in the Navtej Singh Johar case. We will protect the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. We will immediately withdraw the Transgender Bill, 2018, pending in Parliament,” read the manifesto. 

In 2019, Apsara Reddy became the first transgender woman to be appointed the national general secretary of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC). Reddy was appointed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the presence of Lok Sabha MP and AIMC president Sushmita Dev. Her political career shifted through AIADMK, BJP and Congress. Although she campaigned for elections campaign, she never fought elections by herself. 

Although proclamations of trans representation have been made by the grand old party, like many others, the practical implementation of the same on public opinion is yet to be seen.  Some experts say that it may be a temporal eyewash. The case of Shabnam 'Mausi' Bano tells a different story.

Shabnam ‘Mausi’ was elected as the first trans-MLA of India from Madhya Pradesh in 1998. She was twice denied Congress party membership, and in her words, was ‘disrespected and belittled for her gender identity’. She later contested in assembly elections from Kotma on an RJD ticket, claiming that the promised financial support and presence of Lalu Prasad Yadav in her campaign never came about, and hence she lost. She fought again in 2012 from Kanpur but lost.

It is not only Congress, BJP has also been found competing with Congress on this ground. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP promised a 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and state assemblies, promised self-employment and skill development avenues for transgender youth, and a commitment to bring the transgender community to the mainstream through adequate socio-economic and policy initiatives.

However, experts argue that the party manifestos, although bear the inclusion of transgender or Gender Minorities, may not be a reliable indicator of the party’s inclusivity or commitment to the rights of the communities.  In 2019, a BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh called BSP chief Mayawati and called her “worse than a transgender”. 

Both main parties - the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress party - have included transgender issues in their election manifestos. But the story of Shabnam often sheds light on the dark times, how a person from a community of Gender Minority may have to pass to rise to power in politics. Like Shabnam, there are many members of the trans community that lose their battle early because of lack of implementation or impact of what is promised in the manifesto.