Yogi Adityanath slams Rahul Gandhi over Manusmriti remarks, questions his role as LoP

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday over his remarks on the Manusmriti, accusing him of undermining India's traditions, heritage, and democratic institutions. Speaking at a programme in Raebareli to mark the 222nd birth anniversary of 1857 revolt leader Rana Beni Madhav Baksh Singh, Adityanath said Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had a responsibility to uphold the Constitution and respect the country's cultural values.

"Rahul ji, the country does not have high expectations of you merely as Rahul Gandhi; in fact, it has no expectations at all. However, your role as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament entails accountability towards the country's democracy," Adityanath said, as quoted in multiple reports. He further accused Gandhi of treating it as his "birthright to disparage India's traditions and heritage," noting that Gandhi had taken an oath on the Constitution.

Referring to Gandhi's recent interaction with girl students in Maharashtra, where he urged women to "break free from the shackles of the Manusmriti," Adityanath said, "You comment on Manu, Ram or India's heritage. If you want to know about Manu, read the Atharvaveda, Shatapatha Brahmana and Matsya Purana. You will get all the information." Raebareli is Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency, as several reports noted.

Adityanath also questioned Gandhi's stance on national security, saying, "Whenever the Indian Army fights enemies on the borders, you demand proof from the soldiers. In the country's fight against terrorism, you directly or indirectly encourage anti-national elements." He invoked the 1975 Emergency, asking, "And what is your commitment to democracy? The country saw that during the Emergency in 1975."

The Chief Minister further alleged that the Congress party had questioned the existence of Lord Ram in Ayodhya and accused Gandhi of insulting Uttar Pradesh and India during his travels outside the state and abroad. He also criticised Gandhi's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that such statements amount to an attack on an institution rather than an individual, as reported by The Times of India and Moneycontrol.

Adityanath also targeted the Congress state leadership, comparing party state president Ajay Rai to a chameleon over a fish feast in Ayodhya and alleging that a Congress leader had bowed before a mafia figure who killed his brother, according to The Economic Times and Lokmat Times.

Assam CM Sarma's attack

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also weighed in, accusing Gandhi of using women's rights as a "smokescreen" to target Hindu Dharma. In a post on X, Sarma wrote, "Rahul Gandhi is NO champion of women's rights. He is simply a Hindu baiter, using the cause of women's empowerment as a convenient smokescreen to target and discredit Hindu Dharma."

Sarma questioned how many times Gandhi had spoken with "the same outrage against patriarchal and medieval practices that persist under Sharia," and cited the Congress's past positions on the Shah Bano case and the ban on instant triple talaq, accusing the party of a selective approach to women's rights. He also claimed that Gandhi had ensured no woman was included in Karnataka's Cabinet and challenged him to support a Uniform Civil Code, saying the Congress's rhetoric on women's empowerment "rings hollow."

Gandhi's remarks and BJP backlash

Gandhi had made the remarks during an interaction with girl students in Maharashtra on August 22, criticising the "Manusmriti mindset," urging students to "smash patriarchy," and saying that women belonged to themselves, not to their fathers, husbands or sons. The Congress party shared a quote on X attributed to Gandhi: "The Manusmriti states that a woman must never be independent. But I believe women should be independent. You may have relationships with your father, brother, husband, or son, but you do not belong to them. You belong to yourself."

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey responded by quoting two verses from the Manusmriti that emphasise respect for women, writing, "Reading the Manusmriti may not be possible for you, @RahulGandhi ji. This is a shloka from the Manusmriti; read, understand, and speak. Because of the English language, do you know nothing about India's Vedas, Puranas, scriptures, Ramayana, and Mahabharata?" The verses he cited read: "Where women are respected and worshipped, the gods reside; where they are not respected, all work and noble deeds bring no results."

Other BJP leaders, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, also criticised Gandhi, with Fadnavis accusing him of hypocrisy over the Women's Reservation Bill and Poonawalla saying, "You endorse misogyny, cut the crap," as reported by Hindustan Times.