Archive · 25 Aug 2026
CPI MP Backs Rahul Gandhi in Patriarchy Debate With Rijiju
Rahul Gandhi said India should work to end patriarchy, a system where men traditionally hold more power than women.
He made the comments during a speech in Pune.
Gandhi also criticized a passage he attributed to the Manusmriti for saying women should not be independent.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized Gandhi’s message.
Rijiju said Congress should support women from every religion and community.
CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar supported Gandhi’s call.
Kumar said the problem is bigger than one political party or religion.
He said governments, leaders and ordinary people all need to help change society.
CPI Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s call to “smash patriarchy.”
Kumar said ending patriarchy requires coordinated action by political parties, religious leaders and society.
He rejected Kiren Rijiju’s effort to frame Gandhi’s remarks as a political or religious confrontation.
Rijiju accused Congress of selectively targeting Hindus and asked it to address women’s rights across all communities.
Gandhi made the remarks during a Pune speech discussing women’s safety, rights and a passage he attributed to the Manusmriti.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and CPI Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar are at the center of the exchange.
- What
- Kumar backed Gandhi’s call to “smash patriarchy,” while Rijiju criticized Gandhi and questioned Congress’s approach to women’s rights.
- When
- Gandhi spoke on Saturday during a Pune campaign event; Kumar responded on Tuesday. An ANI post cited in the article is dated August 25, 2026.
- Where
- The dispute concerns Gandhi’s address in Pune and subsequent public comments in Delhi and on X.
- Why
- The comments followed Gandhi’s discussion of women’s safety, rights, social control and a passage he attributed to the Manusmriti.
Broader Patriarchy Reform
Cross-Community Women’s Rights
Scope of the issue
Broader Patriarchy Reform
P. Sandosh Kumar and Rahul Gandhi present patriarchy as a broad social system requiring action across political parties, religions and society.
Cross-Community Women’s Rights
Kiren Rijiju argues that advocacy for women must address every community and questioned what he described as Congress’s selective focus on Hindus.
Role of politics and government
Broader Patriarchy Reform
Kumar said the issue cannot be confined to one political formation and cannot be solved by government alone.
Cross-Community Women’s Rights
Rijiju framed the dispute around Congress’s political responsibility to stand with women from all communities.
Religious and textual criticism
Broader Patriarchy Reform
Gandhi condemned the passage he attributed to the Manusmriti and linked it to restrictions on women’s independence.
Cross-Community Women’s Rights
Rijiju objected to what he viewed as targeting Hindu traditions while asking about issues affecting minority women, including triple talaq.
- Central issue
- Whether and how India should challenge patriarchal social structures.
- Rahul Gandhi’s position
- He called for the country to “smash the prevailing patriarchy” and criticized a Manusmriti passage he attributed as denying women independence.
- P. Sandosh Kumar’s position
- He said dismantling patriarchy is urgent and requires action from all political parties, religious leaders and wider society.
- Kiren Rijiju’s criticism
- He asked why Congress allegedly targets only Hindus and cited the rights of minority women, including Muslim women.
- Gandhi’s event
- The remarks were made during the Pune leg of the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign.
- Referenced text
- Gandhi attributed the statement that a woman should never be independent to the Manusmriti.