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Shabnam Mausi makes history

History was made in Madhya Pradesh on Monday when a eunuch, Shabnam Mausi, became the first-ever eunuch to enter the Legislative Assembly.

It was also a proud occasion for about five or six other eunuchs who, for the first time, had the privilege of entering the august building.

There were many people there to witness Mausi's arrival at the Vidhan Sabha premises.

Clad in a olive green sari, spotting a traditional bindi and wearing gold jewellery, Shabnam Mausi made a grand entry accompanied by her 'sisters'.

One of them, Hira Bai, who too had made history by being elected a corporator of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC), wore black goggles and held a cellular phone.

Eunuchs did not even have voting rights until 1994. They treat themselves as a 'third gender' and are often subjected to a life of ostracism. After almost six years, one of them has managed to get elected as an MLA.

Shabnam Mausi was administered the oath by Speaker Shreeniwas Tiwari. She later shook hands with him and sought his blessings.

The swearing-in was greeted by thumping of the desks, but before Mausi's arrival some MLAs made some nasty cracks.

Realising that despite the outward approval, she had a lot of ground to cover, Shabnam Mausi appealed that her community should not be looked upon.

The independent MLA from Sohagpur said she had been threatened with death if she contested the by-elections from Sohagpur. But she refused to identify the party involved.

She said she had complained to the district collector and the superintendent of police, who promptly provided her with security.

Mausi said that no development had taken place in her constituency in the last 50 years. Corruption was deep-rooted that there is great resentment about the developmental activities taken up by her predecessors. There are no roads, and no employment opportunities and the Sohagpur constituency remains neglected, she said.

She made an appeal to the state government to appoint an agency to look into the lack of development in her constituency, and said somebody had to inquire how politicians there had amassed so much wealth

She promised to talk less and work more unlike her predecessors.

Better roads, removal of liquor shops and other matters would be her priority. She raised all these issues on her first day in the Vidhan Sabha, during zero hour.

She accused Bisaulal Singh, a former PWD minister from Sohagpur, for the poor condition of roads.

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