Mahila Congress would see to it that 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures becomes a reality. The women’s wing had already taken up the issue with All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi who herself was for early adoption of the Women’s Reservation Bill by Parliament, said speakers of the Mahila Congress here on Saturday.
Whenever the party was in power at the Centre, it took steps for women empowerment. It was during the Rajiv Gandhi regime that reservation for women in local panchayats was made possible and now several hundreds of women were able to become panchayat presidents, said Prabha Thakur, All-India president of the Mahila Congress, while presiding over the 125th Foundation Day celebration of the party, organised by the women’s wing of the State unit.
Appealing to party workers to take up the cause of women, Ms. Thakur said they should mobilise people to fight atrocities against women and dowry deaths. Poor people in rural areas were still not aware of some of the welfare schemes meant for women, such as old age pension and widow pension. Party workers should help old women and widows get those benefits.
Ms. Thakur appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to reduce the rate of interest for loans availed by women’s self-help groups to four per cent.
Jayanthi Natarajan, AICC spokesperson, said the workers should be proud of the party’s leadership as their president shunned the post of Prime Minister, when people were after power.
The party had a legacy of leaders who had made sacrifices. Services rendered by social activists such as Muthulakshmi Reddy during the freedom struggle and for the uplift of women should be highlighted by the workers.
For empowerment of women, the party had enacted a law making 33 per cent reservation mandatory in local body elections. Women MPs of the party would strive hard to adopt the Women’s Reservation Bill, which would make 33 per cent reservation compulsory in legislatures.
Both Ms. Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were serious about the issue and she hoped that it would be adopted in the coming Parliament session.
‘Steps taken to control prices’
Mohsina Kidwai, AICC general secretary, said increase in prices of essentials was causing concern to people and she was confident that the steps taken by the United Progressive Alliance government for controlling the price of essentials would yield good results.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.V. Thangkabalu, and D. Sudarssanam, and D. Yesoda, leader and deputy leader respectively of the Congress Legislature Party, said they would take up the issue of reducing the bank interest for self-help groups with the State government.
