Rahul Gandhi’s Manusmriti Remark Sparks BJP-Congress War Over Women’s Rights

A fresh political battle has erupted between the Congress and BJP over women’s dignity, patriarchy and the Manusmriti. Speaking at Congress’s youth outreach programme in Pune, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Manusmriti’s traditional prescriptions on women and accused the BJP and RSS of promoting a “Manusmriti mindset”. He urged young women to “smash patriarchy” and asserted that women are individuals, not property. The BJP has hit back, accusing Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy over women’s representation and questioning his stance on the Women’s Reservation Bill. BJP leader Smriti Irani also pointed to the absence of women ministers in the Congress-led Karnataka cabinet. What began as Rahul’s call to challenge patriarchy has now turned into another sharp Congress-BJP political face-off.