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Updated - August 23, 2026 08:20 am IST - Pune

His address, which lasted well over an hour, was interspersed with interactions with young women from different backgrounds who spoke of their concerns | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

In his fourth ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ address, held in Pune on Saturday (August 22, 2026) and his first in Maharashtra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the Gen Z women to “smash” the patriarchy.

“Be loud, be proud and fight for your space in society,” he told the girl students at the AISSMS ground on Saturday (August 22, 2026) evening amid a rousing welcome. Speaking in Marathi, he said, “Pune mhanje prem [Pune means love],” drawing cheers from the youngsters.

His address, which lasted well over an hour, was interspersed with interactions with young women from different backgrounds who spoke of their concerns. He said the 70 crore women of India are more important than the 70 crore men of the country.

Calling the BJP leadership responsible for the “return of the Manusmriti”, he played a clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing shock at the foul language used by young girls during the Jantar Mantar protest, terming it a “cultural shock.”

“At Jantar Mantar, bad words were used by both boys and girls. And yet, the PM expressed cultural shock only about the girls. The message was that it is okay for the boys to use bad words, not the girls,” he said, adding that the BJP leaders believed that 80% of rapes happened because of women.

“We don’t want an India where it is believed that boys should get full freedom, but that girls should be kept in a cage at home. We want justice. We want that everyone should be respected. The fear from your hearts should be erased at the earliest. You are the foundation, the future of this country,” Mr. Gandhi said amid a thundering response.

Terming violence, disrespect, control and time as measures of exerting control over women, he cited statistics to illustrate their impact on women’s freedom and participation.

“Women are controlled through violence. Every six out of 100 women are raped in India. That is direct physical violence. There is violence of opportunity, whereby 50% of women reject jobs due to safety concerns. There is financial violence, where ₹17,500 is spent annually for the safety of a woman. So there is direct, financial and opportunity violence when it comes to the women of our country,” he said.

He claimed that 60% of girls cannot go out of the house alone, and 45% drop out of school due to household responsibilities or marriage. He also said that only 8% of women in India own property independently.

Fear of disrespect was another way of controlling women, he said, with 99% of cases of sexual violence going unreported due to shame. “84% of women have to ask permission to work, and if you are a woman, you get paid 25% less than a man,” he said.

Speaking about how time is weaponised, he said girls have to face additional pressure at a young age, thereby limiting their opportunities.

The Manusmriti is back, he said, adding that girls should not have to bear an additional burden. He also asked tribal girls to invite him to the ongoing protest in Pune over tribal issues. 

Political developments surrounding Mr. Gandhi’s visit also took centre stage after the Shiv Sena hit out at Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT for welcoming him. The party called Mr. Gandhi a "Savarkar hater" and taunted Mr. Thackeray for “rolling out a red carpet” for him.

“The party should not claim that it has not left Hindutva,” the Shiv Sena said after issuing a cartoon on the incident. Earlier in the day, the police booked NSUI workers following a confrontation with ABVP workers at a college hostel in Pune.

Published - August 22, 2026 10:29 pm IST

society / gender / Rahul Gandhi / students

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