Jaya Jaitly

Jaya Jaitly (born 14 June 1942) is an Indian politician and former Samata Party president. She stepped down as party president because of the Operation West End controversy in 2002.^[1]

Biography

Jaya Jaitly was born on 14 June 1942. Her father was K K Chettur, from Kerala, and was the first Indian ambassador to Japan.^[1] Jaitly had been to Japan and Burma. Her father died when she was thirteen. Jaitly and her mother returned to Delhi and joined the Convent of Jesus and Mary school. She met Ashok Jaitly in college and got a scholarship to study in Smith College, US. They got married in 1965. They have two children, Akshay and Aditi (who later married cricketer Ajay Jadeja).^[1]

Jaitly met politician George Fernandes when her husband started working for him. On Fernandes' request, she joined the Socialist Trade Union. After the 1984 Sikh riots, she became active in politics; she calls Fernandes and Madhu Limaye as her mentors.^[1] In the same year, she joined the Janata Party. It split to form the Janta Dal and later, she and Fernandes formed the Samata Party. She and Ashok divorced later and she says her active role in politics was the main reason.^[1]

After Tehelka's Operation West End scandal broke out, where she was accused of accepting a bribe of two lakh rupees,^[2] Jaitly stepped down as party president a few days later in 2002.^[3] In 2012, she was allowed to visit Fernandes, who has Alzheimer's, after she petitioned the High court against Fernandes's relatives who opposed her.^[4]

References