Rahul Gandhi, Sandeep Dikshit's Meloni hug joke sparks sexism row

At a big meeting of the Congress party in New Delhi, a leader named Rahul Gandhi was making fun of India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the way he greets other world leaders with hugs.

To make people laugh, Rahul Gandhi hugged his party friend Sandeep Dikshit during his speech.

Then Dikshit made a joke, asking whether Gandhi hugged him thinking he was Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy.

Many people thought the joke was mean and disrespectful to a woman leader.

Some people in the audience laughed, including a Congress spokesperson named Supriya Shrinate.

The article says this is part of a bigger problem where the Congress party has not treated women leaders kindly.

It also mentions that Shrinate once made an unkind post about actress and politician Kangana Ranaut, and that a former Congress leader, Priyanka Chaturvedi, left the party because she felt her dignity was not respected.

The article argues that the party's leaders have not done enough to stop this kind of behavior.