‘All-male, anti-constitutional cult’: Rahul Gandhi attacks RSS on its foundation day

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday (Oct 20), the day the organisation marked its foundation day, calling it an “all-male, anti-constitutional cult” that believes women are the property of men.

In a post on X, Gandhi accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of gender inequality, calling it an “all-male, anti-constitutional cult”.

Gandhi contrasted the RSS's ideology with his own beliefs, which he described as “Shiva-Shakti”.

“The RSS is an all-male, anti-constitutional cult that believes women are the property of men. I believe in Shiva-Shakti. That's why it gives me such joy to fight them. What's beautiful is that many of their 'own' women are on my side,” Gandhi said.

The remarks mark the latest in a series of sharp attacks by the Congress leader against the RSS.

Earlier, on October 10, Gandhi accused the RSS of perpetrating violence against women protesters and young people amid political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Also Read: ‘Western forces want to derail and destabilise India,’ says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, cautions citizens

PM Modi hails RSS's 100-year journey

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted RSS volunteers, known as swayamsevaks, on the organisation's foundation day and praised its century-long journey.

In a post on X, Modi described the RSS's 100 years as a “remarkable century of service, nation-building and social harmony”. He also paid tribute to those who had helped build the organisation and expressed hope that its spirit of service would continue to contribute to India's development.

The RSS marked the occasion with its annual Vijayadashami celebrations at Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur, as it approaches the conclusion of its centenary celebrations.

Mohan Bhagwat warns against Western forces

Speaking on the occasion in Nagpur, Bhagwat warned that Western forces were seeking to derail India's development and said attempts to destabilise the country would not succeed.

“There are Western forces that want the country derailed from its path of becoming developed, and efforts to dismantle India won't succeed,” he said.

Bhagwat also rejected the idea that a change in government would automatically alter the country's circumstances, arguing that such a shift had not produced that outcome in the past and would not do so in the future.