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# India’s Nationalist Congress Party creates LGBTQ+ cell
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/indias-nationalist-congress-party-creates-lgbtq-cell/
- Published: 2020-10-09T12:35:56.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-09T11:13:14.000Z
- Description: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in India has become the first political party in the country to set up a dedicated LGBTQ+ cell.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, Queer Corner, LGBTQ, LGBTQ India, LGBTQ+ equality

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/india-ncp.jpg)

The **Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)** in **India** has become the first political party in the country to set up a dedicated LGBTQ+ cell; a specific unit within the organisation dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues. The NCP was the first in the country to create a young women’s cell and is now hoping to alleviate the prejudice against India’s queer community after the unit was formally launched in **Mumbai** by NCP president **Jayant Patil** & MP **Supriya Sule**. Both said they aim ‘to do justice to the deprived section’ of India’s citizens.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/jayant-patil-1.jpg)

NCP president Jayant Patil

Sule continued: *“We felt the LGBTQ+ community needs equal rights, so we made a separate cell for them”.* The move was unanticipated due to the government’s lack of attention to LGBTQ+ issues, with a Twitter user[ saying](https://twitter.com/borkarabhijeet/status/1313084510582472710?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1313084510582472710%7Ctwgr%5Eshare%5F3&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fnews%2Fbuzz%2Ffinally-ncp-becomes-first-political-party-in-india-to-get-an-lgbt-cell-twitter-rejoices-2935217.html&ref=scenemag.co.uk) ‘this was entirely unexpected’. [**News 18**](https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/offbeat/finally-ncp-becomes-first-political-party-in-india-to-get-an-lgbt-cell-twitter-rejoices/ar-BB19IzbQ?ref=scenemag.co.uk) reported out of 543 MPs in India, only 151 have ever spoken about LGBTQ+ issues throughout their careers. Although same-sex relations are not [criminalised](https://www.equaldex.com/region/india?ref=scenemag.co.uk#:~:text=LGBT%20Rights%20in%20India%201%20Homosexuality%20%E2%9A%A2%20%E2%9C%94,10%20Donating%20Blood%20%E2%9C%94%20Legal%20More%20items...%20) in the country, same-sex marriage is still illegal and there are no protections against LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Many have congratulated the NCP, with one person [tweeting](https://twitter.com/mishra%5Frajul/status/1313073108434087937?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1313073108434087937%7Ctwgr%5Eshare%5F3&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fnews%2Fbuzz%2Ffinally-ncp-becomes-first-political-party-in-india-to-get-an-lgbt-cell-twitter-rejoices-2935217.html&ref=scenemag.co.uk) *“finally a political party recognises the rights of the LGBTQ+ community”* and saying they hope this sparks a ‘political revolution’ in India. Another agreed, [tweeting](https://twitter.com/p%5Fsyduck/status/1313069689887580160?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1313069689887580160%7Ctwgr%5Eshare%5F3&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fnews%2Fbuzz%2Ffinally-ncp-becomes-first-political-party-in-india-to-get-an-lgbt-cell-twitter-rejoices-2935217.html&ref=scenemag.co.uk) ‘every party should learn’ from the move.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pride-parade-new-delhi-istock-1.jpg)

A Pride parade in New Delhi