Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday intensified his criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that its Gujarat unit president made an “indecent remark” against Congress MP Geniben Thakor and claiming the episode reflects the party’s “anti-women ideology.”
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “The BJP’s Gujarat president has made an indecent remark against our Congress woman MP, Geniben Thakor. The mask of ‘Nari Vandan’ has slipped,” adding that the incident was “not just shameful—it is the real face of the BJP’s regressive, anti-women ideology.”
He questioned the ruling party’s stance on women’s empowerment, asking, “Is this the BJP’s idea of ‘Nari Vandan’? Will they empower women like this? Will they grant them rights?” Gandhi further alleged that women who challenge those in power are not tolerated, saying such moments expose what he described as a “distorted mindset.”
The Congress leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had sidestepped questions raised by women MPs in Parliament. “The Prime Minister, already unnerved by questions from Congress women MPs, has even walked out of Parliament,” he said.
Referring to a past statement attributed to Modi, Gandhi added, “Modi himself says, ‘A woman may forget everything, but she never forgets her insult.’ Yet the BJP seems to have forgotten this.” He asserted that women across Gujarat and the country would respond firmly, stating, “The anti-women BJP should remember—women across Gujarat and all of India will give a fitting reply to every insult.”
The remarks come amid continued political exchanges between the Congress and the BJP on issues of women’s rights and representation, with both parties accusing each other of falling short on commitments to gender equality.