Sheila Dikshit
Encyclopedia
Sheila Dikshit is the Chief Minister of Delhi
. She is from the Indian National Congress
. Dikshit was sworn in as the Chief Minister for a third consecutive term of the Government of Delhi
state in January 2009 after pulling a victory in November 2008 state elections
. She is the second woman Chief Minister of Delhi and represents the New Delhi
Constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi
.
, University of Delhi
. She is also the recipient of Doctor of Philosophy
, honoris causa, from the University of Delhi. She was married into the family of Shri Umashankar Dikshit, a noted independence activist and a former Governor and Union Cabinet Minister (in U.P. Vill. Ugu Distt. Unnao). Her late husband Vinod Dikshit was a member of the Indian Administrative Service
(IAS). She has two children, son Sandeep Dikshit
, who is a member of parliament from East Delhi
for Congress and daughter Latika Syed.
Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh
. As a member of Parliament, she served on the Estimates Committee of Lok Sabha
. Dikshit also chaired the Implementation Committee for Commemoration of Forty Years of India's Independence and Jawaharlal Nehru
centenary. She represented India at United Nations Commission on Status of Women for five years (1984–1989). As President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, she led her party to victory in the Assembly elections in 1998.
She has also served as a Union Minister during 1986–1989, first as the Minister of State
for Parliamentary Affairs and later as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office
. She was shortlisted for the 2008 World Mayor
award. As Chief Minister of Delhi, Dikshit was awarded the Best Chief Minister of India, by Journalist Association of India on 12 July 2008. In 2009, she was awarded Politician of the Year by NDTV
.
She is also the Secretary of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
investigated a complaint filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, a BJP worker, saying that Dikshit misused Rs 3.5 crore received from the Central government under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana to give out personal advertisements. The lokayukta later dropped the corruptions claims. The complainant then sought to book Dikshit under the Representation of People’s Act, claiming she had been "misrepresenting facts" about the flats her government had built for the urban poor. It was ruled by the lokayukta that the government actions did not fall foul of the act but it will try to book her under the Section 2 (b) of the Act that stipulates adherence to norms of conduct and integrity expected of ‘public functionaries’. The case is now nearing a verdict with the final arguments having begun.
Mrs Dikshit has hit back at the lokayukta, stating: "[lokayukta] can't be the sole judge of what is unethical" and the anti-graft watchdog should "limit itself to core corruption issues".
's chief minister Sheila Dikshit as "the dip shit woman" and "Dick Shit", going on to state that "it's so appropriate, because she's Indian, so she'd be dick-in-shit wouldn't she, do you know what I mean? Walking along the street... she's just so funny, isn't she?" New Zealand Indian Central Association president Paul Singh Bains said the fact that TVNZ was still promoting the clip on its website showed it had "totally lost the plot" and was insensitive to the offence Henry had caused.
Chief Minister of Delhi
The Chief Minister of Delhi ) is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in Delhi assembly. The Chief Minister leads the executive branch of the Government of Delhi....
. She is from the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. Dikshit was sworn in as the Chief Minister for a third consecutive term of the Government of Delhi
Government of Delhi
The Government of Delhi is the supreme governing authority of the Indian national capital territory of Delhi and its 9 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, a judiciary and a legislative...
state in January 2009 after pulling a victory in November 2008 state elections
Delhi state assembly elections, 2008
The Delhi state assembly elections 2008, which were held in November 2008 for Legislative Assembly of Delhi, led to the formation of Sheila Dixit's government of Indian National Congress.-November '2008:-External links:* *...
. She is the second woman Chief Minister of Delhi and represents the New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
Constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi
Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Legislative Assembly of Delhi, also known as Vidhan Sabha, is a unicameral law making body of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, one of the 7 union territories in India...
.
Early life
Dikshit (being the chief guest(?)) so told at Modern School that she did her schooling from Modern School, Barkhamba Rd. for 6 months but was put in a convent after that. Dikshit holds a Master of Arts degree. She received her education in New Delhi, and later Miranda HouseMiranda House
Miranda House , is a highly renowned and distinguished constituent college for women at the University of Delhi in India. It is widely regarded as a Premier Women's Institution of Delhi University offering degrees in the Sciences and Liberal Arts . Miranda House has demonstrated academic...
, University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
. She is also the recipient of Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, honoris causa, from the University of Delhi. She was married into the family of Shri Umashankar Dikshit, a noted independence activist and a former Governor and Union Cabinet Minister (in U.P. Vill. Ugu Distt. Unnao). Her late husband Vinod Dikshit was a member of the Indian Administrative Service
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
(IAS). She has two children, son Sandeep Dikshit
Sandeep Dikshit
Sandeep Dikshit is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the East Delhi constituency of Delhi and is a member of the Indian National Congress political party.-Early life:...
, who is a member of parliament from East Delhi
East Delhi
East Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. It is bounded by the Yamuna River on the west, North East Delhi to the north, Ghaziabad District of Uttar Pradesh state to the east, and Gautam Buddha Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh to the south...
for Congress and daughter Latika Syed.
Political career
During the period between 1984 and 1989, she represented KannaujKannauj (Lok Sabha constituency)
Kannauj is a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh.-Members of Parliament:*1967: Ram Manohar Lohia, Samyukta Socialist Party*1971: S.N...
Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. As a member of Parliament, she served on the Estimates Committee of Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. Dikshit also chaired the Implementation Committee for Commemoration of Forty Years of India's Independence and Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
centenary. She represented India at United Nations Commission on Status of Women for five years (1984–1989). As President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, she led her party to victory in the Assembly elections in 1998.
She has also served as a Union Minister during 1986–1989, first as the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for Parliamentary Affairs and later as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister's Office is a small department which provides advice to a Prime Minister in some countries:* Office of the Prime Minister * Office of the Prime Minister * British Prime Minister's Office...
. She was shortlisted for the 2008 World Mayor
World Mayor
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...
award. As Chief Minister of Delhi, Dikshit was awarded the Best Chief Minister of India, by Journalist Association of India on 12 July 2008. In 2009, she was awarded Politician of the Year by NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
.
Contributions
She represented India on the U.N. Commission on Status of Women for five years (1984–89). In Uttar Pradesh, she and her 82 colleagues were jailed in August 1990 for 23 days by the state government when she led a movement against the atrocities being committed on women. Electrified by this, hundreds of thousands of citizens all over UP joined the movement and courted arrest. Earlier, in the early 1970s, she was chairperson of the Young Women's Association and was instrumental in the setting up two of most successful hostels for working women in Delhi.She is also the Secretary of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
Alleged corruption
In 2009, Delhi lokayuktaLokAyukta
The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption ombudsman organization in the Indian states.The Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Morarji Desai submitted a special interim report on "Problems of Redressal of Citizen's Grievances' in 1966...
investigated a complaint filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, a BJP worker, saying that Dikshit misused Rs 3.5 crore received from the Central government under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana to give out personal advertisements. The lokayukta later dropped the corruptions claims. The complainant then sought to book Dikshit under the Representation of People’s Act, claiming she had been "misrepresenting facts" about the flats her government had built for the urban poor. It was ruled by the lokayukta that the government actions did not fall foul of the act but it will try to book her under the Section 2 (b) of the Act that stipulates adherence to norms of conduct and integrity expected of ‘public functionaries’. The case is now nearing a verdict with the final arguments having begun.
Mrs Dikshit has hit back at the lokayukta, stating: "[lokayukta] can't be the sole judge of what is unethical" and the anti-graft watchdog should "limit itself to core corruption issues".
Commonwealth Games
Mrs Dikshit was accused of corruption regarding the 2010 Commonwealth games. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report allegedly blamed her for irregularities in imported equipment for street lighting in the city during the games. Delhi chief secretary PK Tripathi stated that the Chief Minister played no part in awarding contracts for street lighting in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games.Parole to Manu Sharma
On November 2009, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit came under criticism for granting parole to Manu Sharma after media reports of him visiting night clubs in Delhi emerged. Manu Sharma is accused of murdering Jessica Lal and serving life sentence. Mrs Dikshit defended her decision to sign the parole papers, declaring nothing "illegal or unlawful" was done in extending the benefit to the prisoner. The Delhi high court claimed she had given preferential treatment to Sharma in granting parole while neglecting such pleas of "poor" people languishing in jail for years. Asked about high court's criticism of the decision, Dikshit justified her position, saying "whatever files I receive, they come through proper channels." Mrs Dikshit pointed out Delhi Lt governor Tejinder Khanna, stating that he had not objected to the parole papers and had cleared the file paving way for Sharma's parole.Paul Henry
Paul Henry, a TVNZ New Zealand broadcaster referred to New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
's chief minister Sheila Dikshit as "the dip shit woman" and "Dick Shit", going on to state that "it's so appropriate, because she's Indian, so she'd be dick-in-shit wouldn't she, do you know what I mean? Walking along the street... she's just so funny, isn't she?" New Zealand Indian Central Association president Paul Singh Bains said the fact that TVNZ was still promoting the clip on its website showed it had "totally lost the plot" and was insensitive to the offence Henry had caused.