Sonia hails DMK as champion of women's rights

Chennai, Jun 12 (UNI) Congress President and ruling UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today extended her warm greetings to the DMK women's wing state conference, stating the DMK had been an ardent champion of equal rights for women.

Exhorting women's wing members to take part in the two-day conference to be held in Cuddalore on June 14 and 15 in large numbers, DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi released to the media, details of the greetings sent by Ms Gandhi.

In her message Ms Sonia said ''the state-level conference of the women's wing of the DMK provides a welcome opportunity to project the remarkable achievements of DMK and its women's wing to empower women''.

She said the DMK, under the enlightened leadership of Mr Karunanidhi, had been an ardent champion of equal rights for women.

It was the first party to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies and has pioneered a number of schemes and projects to the fore the social and economic empowerment of women.

''I hope this will serve as an inspiration and model for the rest of the country to follow'', Ms Gandhi said.

Conveying her greetings to all those participants in the conference, Ms Gandhi congratulated them on their steadfast commitment on women's rights.

Calling upon the women's wing members to take part in the conference in large numbers, Mr Karunanidhi expressed confidence that the conference would empower women in many ways.

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