1 week ago

Rahul Gandhi Says Women Belong Only to Themselves

Rahul Gandhi Says Women Belong Only to Themselves
Rahul Gandhi Says Women Belong to Themselves, Rejects Manusmriti’s View · deccanchronicle.com

Rahul Gandhi spoke to young people in Pune about women’s independence.

He said a woman belongs to herself, not to a male family member.

He criticized a passage he attributed to Manusmriti for saying women should be controlled by fathers, husbands or sons.

Gandhi called those words shameful.

He said women are one of India’s biggest strengths.

He encouraged women to believe in themselves and follow their own dreams.

He also said women can be professionals, athletes and active in many fields.

He told the audience that relationships such as daughter, wife or mother should not be a woman’s only identity.

Key facts

Speaker
Rahul Gandhi
Event
Congress youth outreach programme “Chhatron Ki Goonj”
Location
Pune, India
Central message
Women belong to themselves rather than to fathers, husbands or sons.
Text criticized
A Manusmriti prescription describing women as subject to male relatives throughout life.
Women highlighted
Gandhi cited 70 crore unique journeys, imaginations and dreams among India’s women.
Call to action
He urged women and young people to believe in themselves and “break the cage”.

Quotes

Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha

“I (would) like to quote here the Manusmriti, which says clearly that in childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth she belongs to her husband and, when her lord is dead, she belongs to her sons. A woman must never be independent. These words are a shame. These words should not have been spoken.”
deccanchronicle.com theprint.in
“You belong to nobody, except yourself. You have a relationship with your father, brother, husband, your son, but you do not belong to them, and you belong to yourself.”
deccanchronicle.com theprint.in

Sources

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