Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, 22 August launched a pointed attack on patriarchal frameworks at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Pune, asserting that women are India's greatest strength and that keeping them dependent reflects a 'Manusmriti mindset'. Addressing a large gathering of Gen Z female students at the Shri Shivaji Preparatory Military School College Ground, Gandhi declared: 'Women do not belong to any man; you belong only to yourselves.'

Key Remarks at the Pune Event

Gandhi opened by stating that while many consider the economy or the military to be India's primary strength, he believes the country's real asset lies in the ideas and dreams of its 70 crore women. He emphasised that women naturally carry higher sensitivity, gentleness, and empathy — qualities he argued are undervalued by traditional societal structures.

Criticising frameworks like the Manusmriti for confining women to rigid identities — solely as daughters, wives, or mothers — Gandhi urged young women to 'break the cage' of social restriction and assert independence across every field.

Stark Statistics on Women's Safety and Opportunity

Gandhi cited a series of figures to underscore the scale of systemic discrimination. He stated that nearly 4.5 lakh girls face female foeticide annually, while 80 per cent of women experience some form of harassment and 30 per cent face physical abuse. He further noted that six in every 100 women experience direct physical assault or rape.

On economic participation, Gandhi pointed out that 50 per cent of women drop out of jobs or higher education due to fear of violence, 45 per cent exit due to marriage or domestic responsibilities, and 60 per cent of young women cannot leave their homes alone safely. Only 8 per cent of women in India own independent property, he added.

Format and Focus of the Interaction

Gandhi clarified at the outset that the session was not a political address. The event was structured as an open dialogue, with Gen Z students raising questions and sharing personal challenges — several of whom joined him on stage. Topics spanned education, systemic discrimination, safety, social change, and the evolving concept of the 'Aadarsh Nari' (ideal woman) in contemporary India.

The interaction, he said, was centred on understanding youth perspectives and their expectations for the future — a deliberate pivot from conventional political rallies.

Broader Context

The Pune event is part of Gandhi's ongoing outreach to younger demographics, particularly Gen Z women, ahead of a politically charged period. His framing of women's rights as a structural, not merely rhetorical, issue — backed by data on foeticide, harassment, and property ownership — marks a sharper edge to Congress's gender discourse. Notably, this is not the first time Gandhi has invoked the Manusmriti as a symbol of entrenched caste and gender hierarchy; the reference carries deliberate ideological weight in the current political climate.

With women's safety and representation continuing to dominate public debate, Gandhi's Pune address signals that gender justice will remain a central plank of the Congress opposition narrative in the months ahead.