PUNE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at what he described as a patriarchal mindset, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “culturally shocked” when girls used cuss words during a protest, while having no objection to boys using similar language.Addressing a gathering of thousands of women and girl students at AISSMS College ground as part of the Congress’ ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, Gandhi said the fight was against a system that gives men greater freedom while placing restrictions on women.He referred to a video of Modi that he said was released after a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.“The Prime Minister was culturally shocked when girls protesting at Jantar Mantar used cuss words, but had no problem with boys using the same words,” Gandhi said.“Our fight is against such a mindset. We do not want a country which gives all the freedom to men, while women continue to live in a controlled environment. We will work together to end the patriarchal system in India,” he said.
‘Woman belongs to nobody except herself’
Gandhi also invoked the Manusmriti while speaking about women’s independence and said women should not be defined by their relationship with men.“Manusmriti mentions that a woman must never be independent. Such words should never be used to describe a woman. The woman belongs to nobody except herself,” he said.He said women continued to face restrictions through violence, disrespect and curbs on their movements.Sharing statistics with the audience, Gandhi claimed that 99% of sexual violence cases in the country go unreported.He said society uses different methods to control women, including violence, disrespect and imposing restrictions on their timings.
‘Paper leaks affect women differently’
Gandhi also spoke about the impact of examination paper leaks on women, saying they faced additional pressure because of family expectations around marriage.Sharayu Chopade, one of the students who interacted with him, spoke about being dejected after the recent FDA inspector examination paper leak in Pune.“It was quite heartbreaking,” she said, appealing to Gandhi to look into the issue.Responding to her, Gandhi said paper leaks could have a different impact on men and women.“While men have more time in hand to reappear for the exam, women have a deadline for the same as the family may force them to marry,” he said.Another participant, Suchitra Pagi from Palghar, spoke about facing sexual harassment by three men from a neighbouring village. She said villagers opposed her when she lodged a police complaint, while her family supported her education and enabled her to pursue higher studies in Pune.
Rahul interacts with women on stage
The Pune event was the fourth edition of the Congress’ ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student outreach programme, following editions in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj.Gandhi invited women and girl students on stage to share their experiences of sexual harassment, challenges in pursuing education and problems linked to examination paper leaks.Bhojpuri satirist Neha Rahod also performed satirical songs targeting patriarchy and the government. She said she faced an FIR after presenting issues women face through her songs.“I also have been receiving a lot of abuse for the last many years,” Gandhi responded.
