Rahul Calls RSS Anti-Women Cult, BJP Hits Back
Rahul Gandhi calls the RSS an anti-women cult, prompting BJP leader Smriti Irani to accuse him of making derogatory remarks about women.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the RSS as an all-male "anti-constitutional cult" that treats women as the property of men, triggering a sharp response from the BJP on Wednesday.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said his belief in Shiva-Shakti gave him joy in fighting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
"The RSS is an all male anti-constitutional cult that believes women are the property of men. I believe in Shiva-Shakti," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"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," the former Congress president added.
His remarks came on the RSS foundation day, when its chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his Vijayadashami address in Nagpur, warned that agitations seeking regime change did not resolve fundamental problems and could become instruments of political interests, deepening divisions in society.
Hitting back, BJP general secretary Smriti Irani accused Gandhi of making derogatory remarks about women.
“His attitude toward women is clearly evidenced by the way he physically mistreated a female police officer in uniform. If he repeatedly makes such petty remarks, why do you even seek comments from women regarding them? We have a social responsibility, if Rahul Gandhi holds such a regressive perspective toward women, it is our duty to ensure that such an individual is sidelined. Women in our society are empowered, whether they are members of the BJP or swayamsevikas within the RSS—and, in fact, women from all walks of life are insulted when such petty, low-level remarks are made. It seems that Rahul Gandhi, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), resorts to such cheap comments simply to stay in the headlines," Irani said.