NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks accusing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of gender inequality, with party leaders alleging hypocrisy and questioning his understanding of the organisation.BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan accused the Raebareli MP of hypocrisy over his comments on respecting women, while party MLA Ram Kadam said the Congress leader should study the RSS before making allegations against it.Kesavan alleged that the Congress leader’s remarks about treating women with respect were contradicted by his conduct towards a woman police personnel and a woman journalist.“Rahul Gandhi sermonising about treating women with respect is indeed most sadistic and cruel given how Rahul Gandhi in the recent past has misbehaved improperly and inappropriately with both a female police personnel and a woman journalist,” Kesavan said.He also questioned Rahul’s response to allegations against a Congress MP facing multiple charges of sexually harassing students.“Rahul Gandhi’s farcical remarks are highly hypocritical because if Rahul Gandhi truly even had an iota of respect for our women’s power, Rahul Gandhi would have squarely condemned and taken action against the Congress MP who is now facing multiple charges of sexually harassing students,” Kesavan said.The BJP spokesperson further accused the Congress of failing to advance women’s empowerment during its years in power, claiming that the party had not passed the women’s reservation Bill despite governing the country for more than 55 years at the Centre.“Right from Nehru’s Congress to Rahul Gandhi’s Congress, the Congress party has always been against women empowerment which is why despite being in power for more than 55 years at the Centre, the Congress party never bothered to pass the women’s reservation bill,” he said.
BJP questions Rahul Gandhi’s understanding of RSS
BJP MLA Ram Kadam also criticised Rahul’s remarks, arguing that the Congress leader should verify his claims before making public statements about the RSS.“Rahul Gandhi frequently makes remarks about the RSS. While he certainly has the right to engage in political accusations, counter-accusations, and sharp criticism, he should do so only after proper study,” Kadam said.Questioning the former Congress president’s claim about the organisation’s treatment of women, Kadam said the RSS had a women’s wing that operated across the country.“Is he unaware that the RSS also has a wing for women? It operates across the entire country, and women work within it with the same level of prominence as men,” he said.Kadam also questioned whether Rahul was making statements on social media without sufficient information.“Are you going to tweet from your X handle based on incomplete information just to grab headlines? At the very least, get your facts straight. Tweeting with such a childish, immature mindset does not befit a leader of the opposition,” he said.
Telangana BJP chief targets Congress over women’s reservation
Telangana BJP state president N Ramchander Rao also accused Rahul of overlooking what he described as the male-dominated nature of the Congress. He challenged the party to explain its record on women’s representation and support for the 33 per cent women’s reservation proposal.“Rahul Gandhi seems to be forgetting how male-dominated his party is. Wherever they are ruling, let him answer how many women chief ministers there are. This BJP has got a woman chief minister in the capital,” Rao said.Questioning the Congress’s position on women’s reservation, he said, “If you are not anti-woman, then why don’t you support 33% women reservation with delimitation? Your party failed to pass that legislation in the Parliament several times.”Rao also challenged Rahul’s claim that women supported his political fight against the RSS, arguing that the Congress’s actions did not match its stated position on women’s empowerment.“Rahul Gandhi has claimed that women are with him, and ‘smash patriarchy’ is only a slogan for him. But in practice, Congress is against women,” he said.Rao also raised the issue of a Congress MP who, he alleged, had been suspended and removed from service at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over a sexual harassment case.“What action have you taken against your own MP who has been suspended and removed from service in JNU over a sexual harassment case?… This is a hypocritical stance of the Congress party,” he said.
What Rahul Gandhi said about RSS
The BJP leaders were responding to a Rahul’s post on X on Tuesday, in which the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha described the RSS as an “all-male, anti-constitutional cult” and alleged that it believed women were the property of men.“The RSS is an all-male, anti-constitutional cult that believes women are the property of men. I believe in Shiva-Shakti. That’s why it gives me such joy to fight them. What’s beautiful is that many of their ‘own’ women are on my side,” Rahul wrote.
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His remarks were the latest in a series of attacks on the RSS. On October 10, the Raebareli MP had accused the Delhi Police of encouraging violence by RSS-BJP supporters against women protesters and young people amid political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Rahul has also criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, accusing him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and others of being on the opposing side of his political fight.Separately, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also criticised Rahul’s comments. VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal accused the Congress leader of “mental bankruptcy” and alleged that he was using religion for political purposes.“… Leaders like Rahul Gandhi suffer from ‘Mental Bankruptcy’. He failed to notice women at RSS events. Vijayadashami celebrations were held across the country yesterday, and I personally attended three of them. Families were present at every event. Congress has travelled the world criticising the RSS, and everyone knows what it has gained or lost in the process…”The remarks came as the RSS held its annual Vijayadashami celebrations at Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur on Tuesday, during the concluding year of its centenary celebrations.
