# Rahul Gandhi says BJP, RSS want to cage women 2026-08-23T01:46:41+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the BJP and RSS, accusing them of wanting to restrict women, and criticised the Manusmriti's patriarchal norms. Speaking at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Pune, he said women belong to themselves, not to fathers, husbands or sons. He called women India's biggest asset, saying they are more sensitive and compassionate than men. Gandhi also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'cultural shock' remark over girls using abusive language at a Jantar Mantar protest. He said both boys and girls used such language but the PM focused only on girls, showing a mindset to control women. He urged women to 'smash patriarchy'. The event saw controversy. ABVP and NSUI cadres clashed outside the venue earlier. ABVP claimed Congress workers forced female students to register for the event, while NSUI alleged ABVP threatened students to keep them away. The BJP labelled the programme 'Echo of Money', claiming 3,000 influencers were paid Rs 30,000 each to publicise it. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Economic Times frames Gandhi's remarks as a direct attack on the BJP and RSS, emphasising his call to 'smash patriarchy' and the counter-narrative of alleged payment to attendees. Siasat carries a neutral PTI wire version focusing on Gandhi's empowerment message and quotes. Times Now leads with Gandhi's swipe at PM Modi's 'cultural shock' remark, giving it more weight than the other outlets. The measured read: Gandhi used the Manusmriti and Modi's comment to frame a larger gender-equality message, while the BJP shifted focus to crowd-funding allegations. The controversy over student registration at the venue remains unresolved. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Reports both Gandhi's attack and BJP's counter-allegation without favour - siasat.com (neutral report) Straight PTI wire copy, no editorial slant, focuses on Gandhi's quotes - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Leads with Gandhi's swipe at PM Modi, but no added slant This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-23T02:20:53+00:00. Tags: ABVP, BJP, Manusmriti, Pune, Rahul Gandhi, RSS Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-says-bjp-rss-want-to-cage-women/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-says-bjp-rss-want-to-cage-women/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/