Sonia, Shekhawat felicitate Sunita Williams

New Delhi, June 23: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today congratulated Sunita Williams, who has successfully returned to the earth after having created a maginificent world record of being the first woman to have continuously spent over six months in space.

''The entire country is proud of her courage, determination and pioneering spirt, which have motivated her in her superb accomplishment,'' She said in a statement here.

Ms Gandhi said it was a matter of great pride to the entire nation that Sunita Williams, the US astronaut of Indian origin, had taken the peak of women's achievement to outer space. ''I am confident that she will scale greater heights of achievement in the future, than ever before reached.'' She also felicitated all of Sunita's colleagues and her proud family.

Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat extended greetings to Sunita for her remarkable space odyssey.

''She has indeed made the country proud and has become a space icon for the younger generation,'' he said in a separate statement.

UNI