'Local bodies should ban kin of women councillors from attending official meetings'

CHENNAI: All Indian Democratic Women Association vice president U Vasuki on Saturday that all the local bodies should follow the Greater Chennai Corporation's move to ban the participation of the relatives of women councillors in the standing committee and zonal committee meetings.

Following reports of women councillors' relatives attending the standing and zonal committee meetings, the corporation has banned the relatives from attending the official meetings.

“It is good that the Chennai Corporation has banned the relatives of women councillors from attending the standing committee and zonal meetings. Other local bodies should do the same,” Vasuki said. Pointing out that it is the patriarchal attitude that women cannot function independently, she said that the relatives of the male councillors do not come and even if they come they will not be allowed. “AIDWA has been insisting from the outset that this proxy system should not be allowed,” she said.