BJP launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his party’s stance on women’s rights and alleged sexist remarks.
Former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who recently quit the saffron party, also joined in as he accused the Congress MP of endorsing “misogyny, sexism and patriarchy”.
So cut the crap. The BJP accused Congress of always taking a stand against women’s right, citing a long list of instances which it deemed as anti-women. It further alleged that Congress leaders made abusive remarks against PM Modi’s late mother, senior leaders made misogynistic remarks against women. He has also continued to train his guns on Congress and Rahul Gandhi. He later served as vice-president of the Pune unit of the party’s student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and as secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.
Poonawalla began his political journey as a Congress volunteer around 2008 while he was still a student. Earlier reporting noted: Support women’s quota implementation, full Vande Mataram rendition: BJP to Rahul Gandhi BJP general secretary Smriti Irani on Sunday (August 23, 2026) asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to validate his words on supporting women by backing the implementation of 33% reservation for women in legislatures and also organising the singing of a full version of Vande Mataram that includes invocation of Goddess Durga at his party office. Earlier reporting noted: Interacting with girl students at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ outreach programme in Pune on Saturday (August 22), Mr. Earlier reporting noted: The former Congress president also said violence is used in society to prevent women from progressing and that 80% of them face harassment.
Poonawalla and BJP were responding to Rahul Gandhi’s call to “smash the patriarchy” during his party’s ‘Chhatro ki Goonj’ programme in Pune. In a scathing attack, Poonawalla said, “You pretty much endorsed misogyny, sexism and patriarchy when you & Sandeep Dikshit made that crass comment on Meloni. The saffron party said Congress opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Triple Talaq Bill, Draupadi Murmu’ candidature for President. Poonawalla, who has resigned from all posts from BJP, has said that he will remain a “lifelong follower of PM Narendra Modi”. Gandhi urged girl students to “smash patriarchy” and lashed out at “Manusmriti mindset”, claiming that it forces a woman to remain under the authority of male relatives at every stage of her life.
“Rahul Gandhi will never be PM of India till I am alive,” Poonawalla wrote on X. “Tareeka badla hai, maqsad nahi” (The method has changed, not the objective). He was responding to a post that read, “Shehzad Poonawala is still destroying Congress left right & centre.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Poonawalla said Gandhi would never become the Prime Minister of India.
