Girija Vyas

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Dr. Girija Vyas

This article is partly based on the N.C.W. website

Girija Vyas is an Indian politician, poet and author.

After obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy, she taught at the Mohanlal Sukhadia University of Udaipur and the University of Delaware. In 1985, as a candidate of the Indian National Congress party, she was elected as an M.L.A. from Udaipur, Rajasthan and served as a Minister in the Provincial Government of Rajasthan till 1990.

In 1991, she was elected to the Indian Parliament, representing Udaipur, Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha and was appointed as a Deputy Minister in the Federal Government of India in the Narsimha Rao ministry

From 2001-2004, she was also the President, Rajasthan Provincial Congress Committee. Currently, she is Chairperson, Media Department, All India Congress Committee and member, Indo-EU Civil Society.

In February 2005, the Congress Party dominated U.P.A. Government of Manmohan Singh nominated her to the position of the Chairperson of the Fifth National Commission for Women, a Constitutional & Statutory body, a position she currently holds.

She remains an M.L.A. in Rajasthan.

[edit] Controversies

She was implicated in the Petrol Pump allotment scam as a beneficiary.[1]. The Supreme Court of India passed orders that her petrol pump allocation be canceled. This may not have happened due to the clout she enjoys as the chair person of the NCW.[2][3] She also argued that women who commit adultery need to be treated as victims and not as culprits. She did backtrack from that position[4]. She opposes the amendment of section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, under whose provisions Indian men and their extended families can be jailed without trial on the basis of a verbal complaint by an estranged spouse.