Phangnon Konyak becomes first woman Nagaland MP to preside over Rajya Sabha

BJP's S Phangnon Konyak on Tuesday became the first woman member from Nagaland to preside over Rajya Sabha.

On July 17, she became the first ever woman member of the Rajya Sabha to be appointed to the panel of vice-chairpersons.

"Marking a significant moment in history, the first woman member from Nagaland in the Rajya Sabha, S Phangnon Konyak presided over the House today," an official statement said.

She is also the first woman to be elected to Rajya Sabha from Nagaland (April 2022) and the second woman from the state to be elected to either House of the Parliament or the state assembly.

In a tweet, Konyak said, "Immensely privileged, humbled and overwhelmed to preside over the Rajya Sabha today. Happy that it was a productive one with The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, having been passed by the House.

"Under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, women today are being given due respect and space in politics and leadership. My heartfelt gratitude to most respected Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji for this opportunity." Responding to this tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote: "A very proud moment." In a move aimed at bringing gender equality, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had last week nominated Konyak and three other women members (50 per cent of the total number) -- P T Usha, Fauzia Khan (NCP) and Sulata Deo (BJD) -- to the panel of vice-chairpersons.

All these women members nominated to the panel are first-term parliamentarians.

The panel reconstituted before the Monsoon Session has four male members.

This is the first time in the history of the Upper House that equal representation has been given to women members in the panel of vice-chairpersons, the statement said.

Konyak is a member of the Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Committee on Empowerment of Women, House Committee and Member, Governing Council of the North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong.