His handle, which lasted effectively over an hour, was interspersed with interactions with younger ladies from totally different backgrounds who spoke of their issues
| Photograph Credit score: Emmanual Yogini
In his fourth ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ handle, held in Pune on Saturday (August 22, 2026) and his first in Maharashtra, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi urged the Gen Z ladies to “smash” the patriarchy.
“Be loud, be proud and combat in your house in society,” he informed the woman college students on the AISSMS floor on Saturday (August 22, 2026) night amid a rousing welcome. Talking in Marathi, he mentioned, “Pune mhanje prem [Pune means love],” drawing cheers from the kids.
His handle, which lasted effectively over an hour, was interspersed with interactions with younger ladies from totally different backgrounds who spoke of their issues. He mentioned the 70 crore ladies of India are extra essential than the 70 crore males of the nation.
Calling the BJP management answerable for the “return of the Manusmriti”, he performed a clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing shock on the foul language utilized by younger ladies through the Jantar Mantar protest, terming it a “cultural shock.”
“At Jantar Mantar, unhealthy phrases have been utilized by each girls and boys. And but, the PM expressed cultural shock solely concerning the ladies. The message was that it’s okay for the boys to make use of unhealthy phrases, not the women,” he mentioned, including that the BJP leaders believed that 80% of rapes occurred due to ladies.
“We don’t need an India the place it’s believed that boys ought to get full freedom, however that ladies ought to be stored in a cage at dwelling. We would like justice. We would like that everybody ought to be revered. The concern out of your hearts ought to be erased on the earliest. You’re the basis, the way forward for this nation,” Mr. Gandhi mentioned amid a thundering response.
Methods of management, disguised as concern
Terming violence, disrespect, management and time as measures of exerting management over ladies, he cited statistics for example their impression on ladies’s freedom and participation.
“Girls are managed via violence. Each six out of 100 ladies are raped in India. That’s direct bodily violence. There’s violence of alternative, whereby 50% of ladies reject jobs attributable to security issues. There’s monetary violence, the place ₹17,500 is spent yearly for the protection of a lady. So there may be direct, monetary and alternative violence in terms of the ladies of our nation,” he mentioned.
He claimed that 60% of ladies can’t exit of the home alone, and 45% drop out of faculty attributable to family obligations or marriage. He additionally mentioned that solely 8% of ladies in India personal property independently.
Concern of disrespect was one other approach of controlling ladies, he mentioned, with 99% of circumstances of sexual violence going unreported attributable to disgrace. “84% of ladies should ask permission to work, and in case you are a lady, you receives a commission 25% lower than a person,” he mentioned.
Talking about how time is weaponised, he mentioned ladies should face extra stress at a younger age, thereby limiting their alternatives.
The Manusmriti is again, he mentioned, including that ladies mustn’t should bear an extra burden. He additionally requested tribal ladies to ask him to the continuing protest in Pune over tribal points.
Political developments surrounding Mr. Gandhi’s go to additionally took centre stage after the Shiv Sena hit out at Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT for welcoming him. The social gathering referred to as Mr. Gandhi a “Savarkar hater” and taunted Mr. Thackeray for “rolling out a pink carpet” for him.
“The social gathering mustn’t declare that it has not left Hindutva,” the Shiv Sena mentioned after issuing a cartoon on the incident. Earlier within the day, the police booked NSUI staff following a confrontation with ABVP staff at a university hostel in Pune.
Printed – August 22, 2026 10:29 pm IST
