National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders on Tuesday, 25 August launched a coordinated attack on Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the Manusmriti, made during the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' programme in Pune, accusing him of insulting Sanatan Dharma. The remarks have triggered a multi-party response from the ruling coalition, with leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena weighing in sharply.

What Rahul Gandhi Said in Pune

During the Pune event — an outreach programme for female students — Gandhi criticised the Manusmriti, the ancient Hindu text, for prescribing restrictive roles for women. He cited the text's position that a woman must live for her father in childhood, her husband in youth, and her sons in old age, calling the notion that women should never be independent 'unacceptable and shameful.'

BJP's Counter: Double Standards on Women's Rights

BJP leader Rohan Gupta questioned why Gandhi needed to invoke the Manusmriti to advocate for women, arguing the move reflected selective outrage. '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,' Gupta said. He further challenged Gandhi to speak with equal candour about the Quran and the Bible, arguing that Gandhi 'cannot do politics by every time insulting the Sanatan Dharma.'

Shiv Sena and Assam CM Join the Chorus

Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC accused Gandhi of pursuing 'appeasement politics' rather than offering substantive policy solutions. '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,' she said. On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also targeted Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader repeatedly criticised Hindu religious texts while remaining silent on what Sarma described as patriarchal practices linked to Sharia. In a post on social media platform X, Sarma said: 'Rahul Gandhi is no champion of women's rights. He is simply a Hindu baiter,' alleging that women's empowerment was being used as a 'convenient smokescreen' to discredit Hindu Dharma. Sarma also challenged Gandhi to unequivocally support the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

More BJP Leaders Pile On

BJP leader Ashok Bajpai backed Sarma's position, saying Gandhi's 'intent is to criticise Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma and finding faults in them,' and describing Gandhi's politics as 'atheistic and anti-Hindu.' BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal called Gandhi a 'failed leader' and said his 'careless actions, despite being the Leader of Opposition, is hurting his own party.' Notably, this is not the first time Gandhi's remarks on Hindu texts have drawn a coordinated NDA response — similar controversies followed his references to Hindu scriptures during earlier campaign cycles.

What Comes Next

The controversy is likely to intensify as Parliament's next session approaches, with the NDA expected to press the issue on the floor of the House. Congress has not issued a formal rebuttal to the specific charges raised by NDA leaders as of Tuesday evening.