Guwahati, Aug 24 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched a sharp attack on Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of selectively invoking women’s rights to target Hinduism and challenging him to unequivocally support a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
In a post on X, Sarma questioned Gandhi’s position on gender equality and alleged that the Congress leader had repeatedly criticised Hindu religious texts while remaining silent on what he described as patriarchal practices associated with Sharia. “Rahul Gandhi is no champion of women’s rights. He is simply a Hindu baiter,” Sarma said, alleging that women’s empowerment was being used as a “convenient smokescreen” to discredit Hindu Dharma.
The Assam Chief Minister contrasted the status of the Manusmriti in Hinduism with Sharia jurisprudence, arguing that the Manusmriti does not enjoy the status of a universally binding religious code for Hindus. He claimed Hinduism’s strength lay in its ability to evolve, reform and adapt to changing social circumstances. “Hinduism lies in its unique ability to evolve, reform and adapt with time,” Sarma said.
Sarma also targeted the Congress over its record on issues concerning Muslim women, accusing the party of having “betrayed” women by reversing the effect of the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano judgment. He further alleged that Congress had opposed legislation against the practice of triple talaq.
The Assam Chief Minister referred to the Congress government in Karnataka, claiming that Gandhi had ensured no woman was included in the state Cabinet to retain political power.
Sarma then posed a direct political challenge to Gandhi, asking whether he would support a UCC guaranteeing equal rights to citizens irrespective of religion. “If women’s equality truly comes before politics, will he unequivocally support a Uniform Civil Code that guarantees equal rights irrespective of religion?” Sarma asked.
The comments come amid a wider political debate over gender justice, personal laws and the proposed implementation of a UCC in India. Sarma accused the Congress of having a selective approach to women’s rights and questioned whether its campaign was genuinely focused on equality or being used to target Hindu religious traditions.
--IANS
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