Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Rahul Gandhi’s Patriarchy Remarks Trigger Sharp Congress-BJP Clash
Rahul Gandhi spoke to women at an event in Pune.
He said women should be free to make their own choices and should not be controlled by society.
He asked them to fight unfair rules and attitudes against women.
He criticized the idea that women should only be seen as daughters, wives or mothers.
He also criticized a passage he quoted from the Manusmriti.
Gandhi said women face violence, harassment and barriers to work, citing several statistics.
BJP leaders said his comments were misleading or hypocritical.
They pointed to disagreements over how and when the women’s reservation law should be implemented.
Congress leaders defended Gandhi and said the party had supported the 2023 legislation.
Rahul Gandhi urged women in Pune to be independent, assertive and to “smash the patriarchy.”
He criticized restrictive interpretations of the Manusmriti and said women should not be defined only as daughters, wives or mothers.
Gandhi cited statistics on female foeticide, harassment, physical violence, rape, unreported sexual violence and employment restrictions.
BJP leaders, including Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis and Smriti Irani, criticized Gandhi’s remarks and questioned his position on women’s reservation.
Congress leader P Chidambaram said Congress supported the 2023 women’s reservation legislation, while opposing a later proposal linked to delimitation.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi addressed women and students; BJP leaders Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis and Smriti Irani criticized or challenged his remarks, while P Chidambaram and Priyanka Chaturvedi defended the Congress position.
- What
- Gandhi called for women to “smash the patriarchy,” criticized restrictive gender roles and discussed violence and discrimination against women.
- When
- The event and reactions were reported in connection with Gandhi’s address in Pune; the women’s reservation legislation discussed was passed in Parliament in 2023.
- Where
- The speech took place at the Chhatron Ki Goonj event in Pune, Maharashtra.
- Why
- Gandhi wanted to promote women’s independence and challenge social attitudes he said restrict women; BJP leaders responded by disputing his interpretation and questioning Congress’s record on women’s reservation.
Congress and Allies
Bharatiya Janata Party
Patriarchy and women’s independence
Congress and Allies
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Chaturvedi said women should reject restrictive social expectations, speak confidently and fight patriarchy.
Bharatiya Janata Party
BJP leaders focused on criticizing Gandhi’s approach and said his comments reflected opposition to Indian traditions or political hypocrisy.
Interpretation of the Manusmriti
Congress and Allies
Gandhi condemned the passage he quoted, saying it denied women independence and confined them to relationships with men.
Bharatiya Janata Party
Yogi Adityanath urged Gandhi to read the Atharvaveda and Matsya Purana to understand the Manusmriti and India’s traditions.
Women’s reservation implementation
Congress and Allies
P Chidambaram said Congress supported the 2023 reservation bill but favored keeping the Lok Sabha at 543 seats and implementing 33% reservation by the 2029 general election.
Bharatiya Janata Party
Devendra Fadnavis and Smriti Irani accused Gandhi or Congress of opposing the government’s initiative and urged support for its swift implementation alongside proposed delimitation.
- Event
- Chhatron Ki Goonj event in Pune
- Main message
- Women should be independent, assertive and able to define their own lives
- Gender roles criticized
- Gandhi said women are often limited to identities as daughters, wives or mothers
- Statistics cited by Gandhi
- He cited 4.5 lakh female foeticides annually, 80% of women facing harassment, 29% facing physical violence and 6% facing rape
- Reported sexual violence
- Gandhi claimed 99% of incidents of sexual violence are not reported because of social stigma
- Employment permission
- Gandhi claimed 84% of women need family permission to take up employment
- Women’s reservation law
- The Constitution (106th Amendment) Bill providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies passed Parliament in 2023