Sonia offers party's leadership to campaign against foeticide

New Delhi, July 26 (UNI) Expressing concern over the laxity in implementation of laws framed for protecting the interests of women, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today exhorted social organisations to launch a vigorous and effective campaign against female foeticide and assured her party's patronage to the drive.

Terming female foeticide a blot on the society and a crime against humanity, Ms Gandhi said ''all true and genuine social organisations will have to first and foremost fight against this scourge. The Congress will have to provide leadership to this campaign.'' Addressing the National Executive of All India Women's Congress (AIWC) here, she said it was a matter of concern that even in the 21st century, incidents of inequality, dowry death and female foeticide were rampant in the Indian society.

''These scourges have to be tackled head-on, and for this, it is imperative to strengthen the organisation of Women's Congress at all levels,'' she pointed out.

Ms Gandhi said AIWC stood out as a distinct outfit among all the frontline Congress organisations because ''it is not only a political organisation but also a socal movement. Now it depends on all of us as to what extent we give it the dimension of a movement.'' She said the UPA Government had enacted a slew of laws for protecting the interests of women, ''but we all know that laws are there but their implementation is not what it ought to be.'' Exhorting AIWC members of the party to create awareness among women against various forms of atrocity, the UPA chairperson said it had to be impressed upon the society that such issues concerned not only women but the whole social structure.

She, however, took pride in the fact that whatever efforts had been made for the uplift of Indian women were all done at the initiative of the Congress.

''There is no other party on this earth which has demonstrated so much of leadership by women members. Before independence, the Congress had three women presidents...The able and adroit leadership of Indira Gandhi is perhaps without parallels anywhere in the world.'' Ms Gandhi said it was for the first time that the country had been blessed with a woman President. ''This is an emotional moment for Indian women, which will always be registered in the annals of history,'' she added.

UNI