Profile: Jayanthi Natarajan

Jayanthi Natarajan is a grand-daughter of veteran Congressman and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Bakthavatsalam. Natarajan, was a practising lawyer in Chennai before she joined politics in the 1980s and has held a number of posts in Congress, including that of the party's national spokesperson for years.

She was noticed by the then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi who made her a Rajya Sabha MP in 1986. She was re-elected to the Upper House in 1992, 1997 and in 2008.

Natarajan joined the TMC floated by late Congress veteran GK Moopanar in 1996 after differences with the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and was rewarded with a minister of state berth for her loyality.

After their TMC merged with Congress in 2002 following Moopanar's death, Natarajan too joined the party and was made it spokesperson four years back.

An articulate speaker, Natarajan has often won kudos for communicating the party's views with ease and comfort before the cameras.

She had always been in the forefront fighting for women's rights and headed a Parliamentary Committee that looked into the Women's Reservation Bill.

She has also been involved with a number of social organisations including the All India Women's Conference, and the legal aid board.