Bhopal: The country’s first eunuch MLA Shabnam Mausi, who was elected in a bypoll from Sohagpur seat in Katni in 2000, left the state Congress office on Saturday in a huff, pained as she was for getting a cold response from Congressmen. “Fifteen years ago, they insulted me the same way. I have always been keen for a membership of the Congress party, but nobody listens to me,” she said. “I am an old Congress worker. Just because I am a eunuch, they will not let me join and work for the party,” she said in anger.The former MLA, who contested as an independent candidate 18 years ago, visited the Congress office on Saturday morning to take primary membership of the party. She walked into the conference hall in the state PCC office during an organisational meeting of the Mahila Congress which was presided over by both women’s wing national president Sushmita Dev, state Congress president Kamal Nath and leader of opposition Ajay Singh.“I raised my voice and asked them why a eunuch cannot work for the Congress party when men and women can. Congress is not a fiefdom of anyone. Why don’t not respect all those who believe in your ideology and want to work for you? They look down on eunuchs and hurt our feelings, is this the right thing to do?” she asked.Breaking down before the media, Shabnam Mausi claimed that before the 2003 assembly elections she had approached the Congress for a membership. “The then state Congress president Radhakishan Malviya had humiliated me, saying that Congress party has no dearth of men and it did’nt need eunuchs. Today, they again insulted me, hardly realising that when you ill-treat eunuchs, they curse you. Fifteen years ago, I cursed and said let all destruction fall on you. Now, I am cursing them again for the next 15 years,” she said, then clapped with her palms and boarded an autorickshaw.Asked if she will approach the BJP for membership, she said, “I will not go anywhere now.” In 2003, Shabnam Mausi wanted to contest the assembly elections as a Congress candidate. After not getting a favourable response from the Congress, she contested as an Independent again, but lost.Speaking to TOI, state Congress campaign committee chairman Manak Agarwal said, “She wanted to attend the Mahila Congress meeting and someone asked her to sit at the rear end of the hall. No one insulted her. On the contrary, she was felicitated with a shawl and coconut in the meeting by Mahila Congress national president Sushmita Dev. Shabnam Mausi has got annoyed, but we will ensure she comes back. We will bring her back and give the membership.”

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