‘Insult to Sanatan Dharma’: NDA hits out at Rahul Gandhi for invoking ‘Manusmriti’

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, days after he invoked the ‘Manusmriti’ while interacting with female students during the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ programme in Pune, accusing him of insulting the ‘Sanatan Dharma’.

During the Pune event, LoP Rahul Gandhi criticised the Manusmriti for confining women to restrictive roles. He noted that ‘Manusmriti’ (the ancient text) suggests a woman must live for her father in childhood, her husband in youth, and her sons in old age, adding that the notion that women should never be independent is unacceptable and shameful. Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rohan Gupta questioned why the LoP had to invoke Manusmriti while taking a stand for women?

“Rahul Gandhi has not made any comment on Triple Talaq till date, I can challenge that. The Union government passed the law against Triple Talaq to benefit the Muslim women who have been a victim of it, why did the Congress oppose it? Aren’t our Muslim sisters, women as well? Where was Rahul Gandhi then?...This is his double standards to insult the ‘Sanatan Dharma’ in order to make a point,” he remarked while speaking to IANS. The BJP leader also said: “Does he (Rahul Gandhi) have the courage to talk about Quran and Bible?...he cannot do politics by every time insulting the Sanatan Dharma.”

Shiv Sena Spokesperson Shaina NC added: “Rahul Gandhi has engaged only in appeasement politics, and whenever any woman raises her voice, what is the need to bring up Manusmriti? Why don’t you discuss how you are providing them with education, safety, and self-reliance? You have no agenda, vision, or plan for that. Your focus is solely on controversial statements, appeasement politics, and vote banks.”

On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also lashed out at the Leader of Opposition, accusing him of selectively invoking women’s rights to target Hinduism and challenging him to unequivocally support the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In a post on social media platform X, Sarma questioned Rahul Gandhi’s position on gender equality and alleged that the Congress leader had repeatedly criticised Hindu religious texts while remaining silent on what he described as patriarchal practices associated with Sharia.

“Rahul Gandhi is no champion of women’s rights. He is simply a Hindu baiter,” the Assam CM said, alleging that women’s empowerment was being used as a “convenient smokescreen” to discredit Hindu Dharma. (IANS)

Also Read: ‘Women’s Rights or Hindu-Bashing?’ Himanta Biswa Sarma Takes Aim at Rahul Gandhi