Know more about Bihar's first woman Dy Chief Minister

BJP MLA from Bettiah Renu Devi has been made the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. Renu Devi belongs to the Nonia community which is classified as an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) and is considered to be a strong vote bank of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United.

Patna: Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth consecutive term on Monday. In the allocation of portfolios in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led government, she has been given the command of three departments.

Renu has been assigned the Departments of Panchayati Raj; Backward Class and Extremely Backward Classes Welfare; and Industries Department.

Renu Devi belongs to the Nonia community which is classified as an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) and is considered to be a strong vote bank of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United.

Regarding her being the first woman Deputy CM of Bihar, there has been a lot of discussion as to the political intention of the NDA behind this choice. Once again the government of double-engine, which has returned to power in the state, has been emphasizing on the empowerment of women. In such a situation, to attract half of the population, the NDA has given the first woman Deputy CM to Bihar.

By the way, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has always been saying about his prohibition law, which has reduced the domestic violence against women in the State. After the prohibition, happiness has returned to the houses across the State. At the same time, the BJP talks about women empowerment with slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ along with the Triple Talaq law.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Bihar during the election campaign, did not forget to tell about his Ujjwala scheme. In such a situation, giving a female deputy CM on behalf of the NDA to Bihar can undoubtedly send a message to the State and the country about the BJP’s resolve for women’s empowerment, which is also significant in view of the assembly elections in West Bengal.

It is also being said, on the other hand, that there are a total of 15 ministers in the Bihar Cabinet including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. But there are only two women among them -- first Renu Devi and second Sheela Kumari.

The opposition should not get aggressive due to the fact that women were given less consideration in the Cabinet. Therefore, Renu Devi has been made a Deputy CM.

• WHO IS RENU DEVI?

Renu Devi, a BJP MLA from Bettiah, started her political journey with Durgavahini. She is a resident of Bettiah city. She has studied till intermediate and BA final year. Renu Devi belongs to the Nonia community.

She also has the knowledge of Hindi, English, Bhojpuri and Bangla languages. Renu Devi is working as a member of the Beti Padhao Beti Bachao Abhiyan.

• RENU HAS FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN

Renu Devi was born on 1 November 1959. She has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since her childhood. She entered the social life in 1981. She started her fight for the rights of women by forming self-help groups by making Champaran and North Bihar as the area of her operations.

In 1988, the BJP made her convenor of Durgavahini’s district unit. In 1989, she was elected as the president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha.

• HER ROLE IN RAM TEMPLE MOVEMENT

Renu Devi had courted arrest along with about 500 women workers during the Ram temple movement. She became the in-charge of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha of the Tirhut division in 1990.

She became the General Secretary of the State Mahila Morcha in 1991. In 1992, she joined the Jammu and Kashmir tricolour Yatra. In 1993, the BJP appointed her as the president of Bihar Pradesh Mahila Morcha. Then she became the President of Mahila Morcha in 1996.

In 2014, she was elected as the BJP’s national vice president.

• BECAME MLA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1995

Renu Devi first contested from Nautan Vidhan Sabha seat in 1995 on the BJP ticket. In 2000, she contested from Bettiah Legislative Assembly seat and won. In 2005, she again became an MLA from Bettiah. She was made Art Culture Minister of Bihar in 2007.

She again won the assembly election in 2010. In 2015, she lost to the Congress candidate Madan Mohan Tiwari. In the 2020 assembly elections, she defeated Madan Mohan Tiwari, the Congress candidate from Bettiah.