Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, will be heading the Mahila wing of Karni Sena in Gujarat, as per news reports. The Karni Sena was involved in staging protests nationwide during the release of a Bollywood film, Padmaavat, earlier this year. An outfit for Rajputs, the organisation, was a major cause of disruption of public life during January while protesting the release of the film, Padmaavat.

The decision to appoint Rivaba Jadeja as the President of Karni Sena’s women’s wing was made by the organisation’s President Mahipal Singh Makrana this past week. The announcement was made in the city of Rajkot, on October 18.

Talking on her appointment as the President of Karni Sena’s women wing, Rivaba said that she would not be working for the women of the Rajput community, but also for the upliftment of women in other communities.

She said, “I'm proud to be a part of this organisation, and will try my best to uphold the dignity of this post. It is good that women who were exploited have shown the courage to come out. It shows that women have become aware. This will also give other women the courage to speak up.”

Answering on the question of whether this was a step towards politics, Rivaba Jadeja said, “I cannot comment on it. The focus is on the welfare of the community, but you can say that this is the beginning.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2018 05:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).