In Murmu, India set to get 1st tribal Prez
BHUBANESWAR: From a Santhal village in Odisha’s remote Mayurbhanj district to a Class-3 state government employee to a schoolteacher to a politician to India’s first woman tribal governor, Droupadi Murmu’s rise has been meteoric.
But on Tuesday, one day past her 64th birthday, Murmu’s ascent from relative obscurity received perhaps its crowning moment, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda announced that she was to be the ruling NDA’S candidate in the presidential polls, which means, bar the most unforeseen of circumstances, Murmu is on the cusp of becoming the first tribal woman to be President of India.
Contacted by HT over the phone, Murmu said the moment she was told about the decision, she was teary eyed. “Though my name was being discussed for long, I had never expected it. I think this is evidence of ‘sabka saath, sabka vishwas’ policy of PM Modi,” she said.
Murmu was born in the Baldaposi village in the Kusumi block of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, a district which has a 58% tribal population, the highest in Odisha. Her father, Biranchi Narayan Tudu, was a farmer in the village. She completed her graduation from the Ramadevi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and in 1979, began work as a junior assistant in the state’s irrigation and power department. After marrying Shyam Charan Murmu, a bank officer, Murmu quit the government job in 1983, to look after her two sons and daughter.
She then moved to Rairangpur, and in 1994, became an assistant honorary teacher at the Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre. Three years later, firebrand and passionate about politics, Murmu was prodded by her family to take the political plunge, contesting and winning the councillor election of the Rairangpur notified area council. With the post of the vice chairperson of the council reserved for tribals, Murmu became it’s deputy head. That same year, she was named the vice-president of state ST morcha of the BJP. In 2000, she contested her first assembly election from Rairangpur on a BJP ticket and was made minister with independent charge of transport and commerce, fisheries and animal husbandry. In 2004, she won again, this time in a cliffhanger, by a margin of 63 votes. Between 2002 and 2009, she was a member of national executive of the BJP’S ST morcha.
In 2015, she became the first tribal governor of Jharkhand, where she completed a full fiveyear term. Murmu, who has also been closely connected to the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, has had to overcome personal tragedy, with her husband and two of her sons passing away.
Her daughter, Itishri Murmu, currently works at UCO Bank in Bhubaneswar.
Prakash Soren, BJP MLA from Mayurbhanj, said: “Her candidature is perfect, and she has always raised issues of the people. During her governorship, she often summoned the DGP or other senior officials whenever there were reports of atrocities on tribals or women.”
Murmu’s announcement set off a wave of congratulations from Odisha, led significantly by chief minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik who tweeted, “...It is indeed a proud moment for the people of Odisha. I’m sure Smt Murmu will set a shining example for women empowerment in the country.”