Overview
- Rahul Gandhi told a largely female audience in Pune to “smash the patriarchy” and quoted a passage he attributed to the Manusmriti that says women should not be independent, a remark first reported from his August 22 interaction with students.
- BJP and NDA leaders including Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of attacking Hindu tradition, labelled him a 'Hindu baiter,' and challenged him to support a Uniform Civil Code.
- Opponents in the BJP also called the remarks hypocritical and pointed to Congress-era decisions such as the Shah Bano episode, the party’s past stance on triple talaq, and alleged gaps in women’s representation in some Congress‑ruled states.
- Some opposition and left figures, including CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, defended Gandhi’s focus on patriarchy and urged that the issue not be turned into a communal or partisan fight.
- Celebrities amplified the row on social media, Kriti Sanon received Gandhi’s public backing over a Raksha Bandhan ad that GIVA later withdrew, and Kangana Ranaut reposted BJP criticism, a pattern that has intensified public debate and linked the episode to wider policy and cultural flashpoints.