Punjab polls: Manish Gulati, Punjab women's panel chief, joins BJP; #MeToo accusations may haunt Charanjit Singh Channi

The Punjab Assembly elections have left everyone on their edge and everyone is awaiting the results of these polls.

In a crucial development, the Punjab Women’s Commission {PWC} chief Manisha Gulati joined the Bharatiya Janata Party {BJP} on Tuesday. She is said to be a close aide of former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Punjab Women Commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati joined BJP yesterday in the presence of Punjab BJP in charge and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat pic.twitter.com/trlF3Ygyaj

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022

Gulati, a mini celebrity in Punjab, has a very acerbic relationship with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and it will be interesting to see how that plays out in the Assembly polls, scheduled for 20 February.

Here’s a look at who she is, her political leanings and her fallout with the Punjab chief minister.

Who is Manisha Gulati?

The current PWC chairperson is known for her videos of meetings with victims and how she handles their complaints, many of which have gone viral in the past. Such is her popularity that she also enjoys a fan page on Facebook.

Whenever I hear about a woman's problem, the only thing that comes to my mind is when will we finally provide a safe environment for our women. I will always strive to protect the rights of women and their rights as much as I can. pic.twitter.com/eJNAz2tf0I

— Manisha Gulati (@ladyonrise) January 5, 2022

She was appointed as the PWC chairperson in March 2018 by the Captain Amarinder Singh government.

Prior to that, she had worked with NGOs and even had her own organisation, Women and Child Society, working on various social issues.

According to The Print report, she also has designed clothes for late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Preneet Kaur, the Lok Sabha MP for Patiala and Captain Amarinder’s Singh’s wife.

Since becoming PWC chairperson, she has garnered a lot of popularity for her style of handling complaints and also the way she deals with victims.

#MeToo issue against Channi

Gulati came into the limelight after she raised a #MeToo issue against Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi last year.

In May 2021 she had threatened to go on a hunger strike if the state government failed to provide clarification on the harassment allegations levelled by a woman IAS officer against Channi.

Tracing back the issue, it began in 2018 when Channi served as a minister in Amarinder Singh’s cabinet and Gulati had, in her capacity as PWC chairperson, sought clarification on harassment allegations levelled by a woman IAS officer against him.

On joining the BJP

Manisha Gulati joined the saffron party on Tuesday, saying that she was disrespected by Congress.

“My dignity was hurt by the disrespect in Congress. It is the reason I joined BJP,” Gulati was quoted as telling Republic.

Earlier on Monday, she had dropped hints about her political stint when she posted cryptic tweets.

हवाओ का रुख मत पुछो मुझसे
घुटन की सियासत दिखाई है तुमने
अब हो गया नया आगाज
खुल के गुंजेगी मनीषा की आवाज! #PunjabElections2022 #PunjabPolls #Punjabpolitics

— Manisha Gulati (@ladyonrise) February 13, 2022

After joining the BJP, she also said that the Channi-led government in the state had targeted her. Speaking to The Print, she said, “Of course, I knew they would target me as I had questioned CM Channi for ‘Me Too’ allegations against him. I was feeling threatened. As he became the CM, these people started calling me in office asking ‘when will madam’s tenure end’.”

Interestingly, when Charanjit Singh Channi had been elevated to the chief minister’s post, she had congratulated him.

Congratulations to Shri Charanjt Singh Channi Ji, the new Chief Minister of Punjab. Our best wishes are with you! @MLACHARANJIT
...
ਨਵੀਂ ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ ਲਈ ਬਹੁਤ ਬਹੁਤ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ ਤੇ ਸ਼ੁਭਕਾਮਨਾਵਾਂ। pic.twitter.com/TwEyl5kTmD

— Manisha Gulati (@ladyonrise) September 20, 2021

She alleges that they continued harassing her, forcing her to take the step of joining the BJP.

With inputs from agencies

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