Gandhi’s firm response to the BJP came from Vishwakarma’s comment about Thakor. Gandhi said the BJP’s “mask of honouring women” has fallen off, revealing their true, “manuvadi”, and anti-women beliefs. He posted a harsh message saying this.
Rahul Gandhi’s charge
In his message, Gandhi asked if the BJP’s ‘honouring of women’ is actually this kind of behaviour, and if that could ever help women gain power or their rights. He said women who challenge those in authority are frequently attacked, and the language used by Vishwakarma shows a very wrong way of thinking.
Gandhi said the Prime Minister actually left Parliament to avoid answering questions from the women in the Congress party. He also reminded everyone that the Prime Minister himself said a woman doesn’t forget when she’s insulted; and he believes women voters will respond to this slight in a strong way.
This problem began with comments Jagdish Vishwakarma made at a BJP celebration after winning the local elections in Banaskantha. Congress leaders say Vishwakarma said the BJP took the district council after thirty years from the ‘pallu’ of Thakor’s sari.
What triggered the row
The celebration was for the BJP’s results in the local elections and leaders spoke to their workers after the results were known.
Another Congress MP had also criticized Vishwakarma for his words. And Gandhi hinted that this incident shows a difference between what the Prime Minister says about women’s representation in government and how the BJP actually behaves.
This is happening at a time of increased tension between the BJP and the Congress in Gujarat after the local elections. Thakor has become an important person in the Congress party and, as party leaders have pointed out, she won her election even though the BJP was doing very well generally across Gujarat.
A brief sequence helps explain the escalation:
– Vishwakarma allegedly referenced Thakor’s ‘pallu’ during a victory event
– Rahul Gandhi responded with a sharp post challenging BJP’s stance
– Congress leaders amplified the charge ahead of campaign planning
Key statements at a glance
These are the central points from Gandhi’s broadside:
– Gujarat BJP chief made an indecent remark about Geniben Thakor
– BJP’s ‘Nari Vandana’ is a mask, he said
– The party reflects a manuvadi, anti-women mindset
– Women who challenge power are targeted
– Women voters will deliver a fitting response
Why it matters in Gujarat
The Congress is saying this situation is a much wider insult to the respect of all women in India. The leadership indicates they’ll make it the main point in future election campaigns, hoping to turn the anger this has caused into support from women voters.
The statement ended with a warning that there will be consequences for the BJP in elections and in society in general. The Congress intends to continue to bring up this issue in Gujarat and elsewhere.
Gandhi stated that women all over Gujarat and the country won’t forget the insult and will respond with their votes. He says the BJP should think about their own statements about being respectful of women.
What comes next
Congress leaders say they will make this incident the most important part of their upcoming campaigns, presenting it as a way to test the dignity and rights of women. The trouble caused by what Vishwakarma apparently said is now at the centre of the current disagreements between the BJP and Congress in Gujarat.
