GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a sharp political attack on Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks on the Manusmriti and patriarchy, accusing him of using the issue of women's empowerment as a pretext to target Hinduism.
Sarma described Gandhi as a “Hindu baiter” and questioned whether the Congress leader's criticism of the Manusmriti was genuinely motivated by concerns about women's rights or was instead part of a broader political attack on Hindu Dharma.
The comments have intensified an already heated political exchange between the BJP and Congress over gender equality, religious traditions and the role of ancient texts in contemporary Indian society.
What Rahul Gandhi said
The controversy began after Gandhi interacted with girl students in Pune on August 22. During the interaction, he spoke extensively about women's autonomy and criticised what he described as the “Manusmriti mindset”.
Gandhi argued that patriarchal traditions have historically attempted to place women under the authority of male relatives, including fathers, husbands and sons. He urged young women to reject such expectations and emphasised that women should have control over their own lives and identities.
Gandhi also criticised the BJP and RSS, alleging that their ideological approach seeks to restrict women's freedom.
The remarks were made as part of Gandhi's wider outreach to young people and women, where he has increasingly focused on issues including patriarchy, education, employment, social expectations and gender equality.
Himanta calls Gandhi a ‘Hindu baiter’
Sarma responded strongly on social media on Monday.
The Assam chief minister alleged that Gandhi was not genuinely championing women's rights, but was instead using women's empowerment as a “smokescreen” to attack and discredit Hindu Dharma.
Sarma questioned why Gandhi, in his view, does not express similar criticism of what he described as patriarchal and medieval practices associated with Sharia.
The BJP leader's argument was that Gandhi's focus on the Manusmriti demonstrated what he called a selective approach to religious reform.
Sarma wrote that Gandhi should be judged not merely by his criticism of one religious text but by whether he applies the same standards when discussing practices associated with other religious traditions.
Sarma draws a distinction between Manusmriti and Sharia
A central part of Sarma's response was his comparison between the Manusmriti and Sharia.
He argued that Manusmriti does not have the same status as a universally binding religious code for Hindus that Sharia has within Islamic jurisprudence.
Sarma said Hinduism's historical strength lies in its capacity to evolve, reform and adapt over time. He therefore questioned why Gandhi continues to focus on the Manusmriti when discussing patriarchy and women's rights.
His argument was essentially that criticism of an ancient Hindu text should not be presented as criticism of Hinduism itself.
The comparison, however, is politically contentious because the status and historical role of Manusmriti within Hindu traditions have long been debated by scholars, reformers and political groups.
Congress and BJP clash over women's rights
The dispute has quickly expanded beyond Gandhi's comments on the Manusmriti.
Sarma also attacked the Congress party's record on women's rights, citing its handling of the Shah Bano case and its position on the legislation banning instant triple talaq.
He accused Congress of adopting different standards depending on the political circumstances and argued that its rhetoric on women's empowerment was therefore inconsistent.
Sarma also criticised Gandhi over women's representation in Karnataka's government, making a political argument that Congress's actions in states where it holds power should be compared with its national rhetoric on gender equality.
These accusations have turned what began as a debate about Gandhi's comments on patriarchy into a broader confrontation over the Congress and BJP's respective records on social reform.
Himanta challenges Gandhi on Uniform Civil Code
Sarma went further by issuing Gandhi a political challenge on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
The Assam chief minister asked whether Gandhi would unequivocally support a UCC guaranteeing equal rights regardless of religion if women's equality was genuinely his priority.
The issue is politically significant because the UCC has been a longstanding BJP policy objective and remains one of the party's major ideological positions.
The BJP has argued that a common framework of personal laws would promote equality, while critics have raised concerns about religious freedom, cultural diversity and the implications of replacing community-specific personal laws.
By connecting Gandhi's Manusmriti comments with the UCC, Sarma shifted the debate from the interpretation of an ancient text to the contemporary question of whether India's personal laws should be governed by a common framework.
Why the Manusmriti issue has become political
The Manusmriti has long been controversial in Indian public life.
The ancient Sanskrit text contains discussions on social duties, conduct and social hierarchy. It has been criticised by social reformers, particularly for passages that have been interpreted as reinforcing caste and gender hierarchies.
At the same time, many Hindus do not regard the text as a universally binding religious authority governing their everyday lives.
This distinction is important in the current political debate.
Gandhi's criticism focuses on what he calls the “Manusmriti mindset”—a broader social attitude that he believes perpetuates patriarchy.
Sarma, by contrast, argues that Gandhi is unfairly using the text to portray Hinduism negatively.
The disagreement is therefore not simply about the historical text. It is also about how political parties interpret Hindu traditions and social reform in contemporary India.
Gandhi's growing focus on women and Gen Z
The controversy also comes at a time when Gandhi has been intensifying his outreach to young voters.
His recent interactions with students have focused on issues such as examination pressures, paper leaks, unemployment and the position of women in Indian society.
In Pune, Gandhi directly engaged with young women and argued that women should not be defined by their relationships with fathers, husbands or sons. He presented women's independence as an essential component of a modern India.
The BJP has criticised this outreach, while Congress has presented it as an attempt to build a direct connection with India's younger generation.
The Manusmriti controversy therefore fits into a larger political contest over how young Indians should view gender, tradition and social change.
BJP leaders pile pressure on Gandhi
Sarma's attack is not the only criticism Gandhi has faced over the Manusmriti remarks.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also criticised Gandhi, questioning his comments and accusing him of attacking India's cultural heritage.
The coordinated criticism indicates that Gandhi's remarks have become a broader BJP-Congress political issue rather than remaining confined to Assam or Maharashtra.
For the BJP, the controversy provides an opportunity to portray Gandhi and Congress as hostile to Hindu traditions.
For Congress, the issue offers an opportunity to frame the political debate around women's freedom, equality and opposition to patriarchy.
The larger political battle
The exchange illustrates how questions of gender equality and religious identity increasingly overlap in Indian electoral politics.
Gandhi is attempting to speak to younger voters through issues such as personal freedom, women's autonomy and opposition to traditional patriarchal structures.
The BJP, meanwhile, is challenging the underlying framing and arguing that criticism of Hindu texts should be distinguished from criticism of social practices.
Sarma's response reflects a familiar BJP political strategy: defend Hindu traditions while challenging Congress to apply what the BJP describes as a consistent standard across religions.
Congress is likely to argue that opposing patriarchy does not amount to opposing Hinduism and that social reform requires questioning traditions that restrict equality.
A debate that is unlikely to end soon
The controversy is unlikely to disappear quickly because it touches several politically sensitive questions at once—religion, women's rights, personal laws, social reform and the ideological differences between the BJP and Congress.
For Gandhi, the challenge will be to ensure that his campaign for women's empowerment remains focused on equality rather than being overshadowed by the religious controversy.
For the BJP, the challenge is to counter Gandhi's message on patriarchy without appearing to oppose broader demands for women's autonomy and social reform.
Sarma's intervention has ensured that the debate has now moved firmly into national political territory.
At its core, the dispute reflects two competing narratives: Gandhi's argument that India must challenge patriarchal thinking, and the BJP's contention that such criticism is being selectively used to target Hindu traditions.
As both sides sharpen their positions, the Manusmriti row is likely to remain another flashpoint in the broader ideological contest between the BJP and Congress.
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