DMK Deputy General Secretary and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi addresses the conference.
Former CPI (M) Subhashini Ali praised former CM M Karunanidhi for translating the DMK organisation's ideals into government policies such as property rights for women.
She added that the "Manuvadi" RSS and BJP are against the struggle for social justice taking the examples of women wrestlers' protest against sexual harassment and Manipur violence.
She asked the Central government when will the Women's Reservation Bill would be implemented.
Heaping praises on Tamil Nadu's culture, NCP MP Supriya Sule says that Tamils are united by their love for the Tamil language. Maharashtra is united with Tamil Nadu in the fight against the "invisible power" in New Delhi. She recalled how ironic the BJP introduced the Women's Reservation Bill and the party's members heckling Kanimozhi even before she began speaking.
#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | At the DMK Women's Rights conference, NCP MP Supriya Sule says, "...I think it is a very proud community with a rich legacy. There is one big contribution which you all have done, which Kalaignar has done - they have not only taken Tamil language… pic.twitter.com/r7hsu67H7z
— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2023
CPI national executive committee member Annie Raja says that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government is determined to snatch away the rights of women that were won over 75 years of Independence.
"PM Modi, who boasts of a 56-inch chest, doesn't really bother about the crime perpetrated against women," she said.
Senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja speaking at the conference.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav speaking at the conference.
She says, "I want to focus on three fundamental aspects for the vision for India an unyielding commitment to social justice, tireless effort to protect the dignity of each individual, and untiring advocacy for women's rights. Samajwadi Party remains committed to these ideals as we cherish and uphold an unwavering commitment to protecting the respect and dignity of every individual in a diverse India. The protection of regional, social, cultural, and linguistic identities is of paramount importance as it is integral to the identity and pride of each and every individual. Leadership in this regard is not about exclusion but rather about pluralism and diversity. We all must be true feminists today, advocating for gender equality, women's education, and upliftment policies that have always been advocated and implemented by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. We must recognise that women's economic empowerment is not only a matter of individual dignity but also a path towards overall societal and economic progress."
TMC's Sushmita Dev spoke at the conference after a special address.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra & INDIA bloc women leaders participate in the DMK Women's Rights conference at the YMCA Ground in Chennai pic.twitter.com/NBokbtsedB— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2023