Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi to take part in DMK women's conference on Oct 14

Senior Congress leader and former AICC president Sonia Gandhi and her daughter and Congress Working Committee member, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will attend a conference of the DMK women’s wing to be held on October 14 at Chennai.

DMK Deputy General secretary and Member of Parliament from Thoothukudi, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi announced this in a statement on Tuesday. The conference is being conducted as part of the 100th birthday celebrations of late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK leader, Muthuvel Karunanidhi.

Besides Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, senior leaders like Subhashini Ali of the CPI(M), Annie Raja of the CPI will take part in the programme. Other I.N.D.I.A front women leaders will also attend the programme.

Kanimozhi in the statement said that the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed in Parliament, will come into effect only in 2029. She said that even that was uncertain.

She said, "The objective of the conference is to take forward the need for the immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies."

The DMK women leader said that Sonia Gandhi has accepted to attend the programme following the invitation sent by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Thiru M.K. Stalin.

Kanimozhi also said that reservation for women was a long pending demand of the DMK. She said that the BJP government had passed the Bill after completing nine years in office as elections were nearing.