‘No champion of women’s rights’: Himanta Biswa Sarma calls Rahul Gandhi a ‘Hindu baiter’

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 24 accused Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of selectively invoking women's rights to target Hinduism, questioning his position on social practices within different religious communities.

In a post on X, Sarma alleged that Gandhi uses women's empowerment as a "smokescreen" to attack Hindu Dharma and questioned why he does not express similar criticism of patriarchal practices associated with Sharia.

"Rahul Gandhi is NO champion of women's rights," Sarma said, alleging that Gandhi's position on women's empowerment was inconsistent.

The Assam chief minister also drew a comparison between Sharia and Manusmriti. He argued that while Sharia forms part of Islamic jurisprudence, Manusmriti does not have a similar status as a universally binding religious code for Hindus.

Sarma questioned Gandhi's approach to religious and social reform, asking why he had criticised Manusmriti but, according to him, had not shown the same "fervour" in criticising Sharia.

He said Hinduism had the ability to evolve and reform with changing times and questioned whether Gandhi's focus on women's rights was driven by a genuine commitment to equality or was instead being used to criticise Hindu Dharma.

Sarma also attacked the Congress over its record on women's rights, referring to the party's position on the Shah Bano case and the law criminalising instant triple talaq.

"Cong rhetoric on women's rights rings hollow when measured against its own record," he alleged.

The Assam chief minister further accused Gandhi of compromising women's representation in Karnataka for political reasons, claiming that no woman was included in the state Cabinet.

Sarma then challenged Gandhi to clarify whether he would support a Uniform Civil Code if equality for women was his priority.

"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 remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over women's rights, personal laws and the role of religion in social reform, with the BJP and Congress frequently taking opposing positions on the issue.