In what is being considered a welcome move by many, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP on Monday, 5 October, formed a dedicated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cell and claimed that, in doing so, it has become the first political party in India to have such a cell, ANI reported.
Maharashtra minister and the state’s NCP chief Jayant Patil made the announcement and made Priya Patil the head of its state unit.
Others present at the function in Mumbai were NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule who said that the “LGBT community needs equal rights,” which is why a separate cell has been made for them.
Sule, who has always been vocal about her support for the community, said that “the purpose of this cell is to solve the problems of the gay community and integrate it into the mainstream society.”
The head of the cell, Priya Patil, said the cell will work to ensure that the community members get their rights and the overall operations will be taken care of by a 13-member team, PTI reported.
Seemingly, the formation of a separate LGBT cell was one of the promises made by the party in its election manifesto. The NCP was also the first party to set up a separate cell for women as well.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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