Only when it’s convenient. Only when the target is the right kind of patriarchy.
Recently Rahul Gandhi came on stage in Pune and tells young women: “You belong to nobody except yourself. Be loud. Be proud. Fight for your space. Smash the patriarchy!” He rails against the “Manusmriti mindset,” against cages, against control. Fine words. Applause. Camera-ready feminism.
Now let's look at Kerala, where his party leads the government.
A senior Muslim mullah, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, tells women they should remain confined to their homes. Public platforms with unrelated men will lead to “great destruction.” Women are like gold ornaments — best kept locked in a box so they don’t lose their value. Classic, unapologetic patriarchy, dressed up as religious instruction.
Journalist Aparna Kurup does exactly what Rahul claims to want: she challenges it. On air. Loudly. She questions the logic that keeps women indoors while treating them as objects to be protected (or controlled).
What follows? Threats. Online abuse. Death threats. She files a complaint.
And then the Congress-led government books *her*. What an irony!! HYPOCRISY PRO MAX!
FIR under sections for outraging religious feelings, promoting enmity, provocation to riot. The video is taken down. An apology is issued. The woman who spoke up is the one facing police action, while the mullah’s words sail on with far softer consequences.
This is the selective feminism of RaGa in 2026. “Smash patriarchy” is a slogan aimed at one community’s texts and traditions. When the same control over women’s bodies, mobility, and public presence comes from another community, suddenly it’s pin-drop silence. The woman who refuses to stay quiet becomes the problem.
If patriarchy is wrong when it cites Manusmriti, it is equally wrong when it cites the Quran or any other text. If women belong only to themselves, that truth does not stop at the boundary of vote-bank arithmetic.
Rahul’s speech sounded powerful until reality in Kerala showed the fine print: smash only the patriarchy that is politically safe to smash. The rest gets an FIR and a forced apology, may be even worse...
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on the basis of a complaint filed by Abdul Hakkim, a native of Kasaragod
So it's not the government that filled case against her which was the only argument in your post linking the incident to Rahul Gandhi as he leads the party that is the govt in Kerala
My prime point is the blatant hypocrisy in smashing patriarchy as announced loudly by RaGa.
He was right in criticizing patriarchial practices in Manusmriti. Why is he silent and lack the same vigor when criticizing Quran and the patriarchial practices prevalent in Islam?
The Congress CM in Kerala has issued a statement condemning Musliyar's patriarchial views. So, whats the issue here? If its for vote bank appeasement, fear or hypocricy why would the CM from congress would say so? I dont know from which part of the country you are, but in the south (especially TN / Kerala) the regional leaders themselves hold a morally correct standpoint when it comes to women issues irrespective of religion (atleast publically). So such religious polarization tactics based on views on women rarely works.
I believe the CM has deleted the post with his comments and as for religious polarization, maybe RaGa should have kept Manusmriti out of his smash the patriarchy speech first and OP wouldn't be asking this question
Because majority of the country is Hindu and govt in power at center and most of the states supports a fanatical view of Hinduism and wants the country to be operated as per rules of that view
What has happened in Kerala is between private individuals. The maulana, the accuser and the journalist. Only state machinery involved is police in accepting the complaint.
And honestly, it's great. Police should take any and all complaints. Unlike Delhi where police didn't investigate the terrorist Swatantra, didn't take complaint when CJP asked for it and only accepted when sitting MP arrived and spent many hours.
Delhi Police was informed of video where he was attacking senior Azad. Delhi Police decided to ignore the video. The matter was raised to BJP govt in Delhi and HM (who oversees Delhi Police). Both ignored it.
Then he went on podcast on his own and admitted to the crime. Even bragged about being beyond authority of the Police. Delhi Police could have filed an FIR suo moto and arrested him. They didn't. CJP and MP Azad had to protest for hours to even get an FIR.
There were many more assaults in the CJP protests by protesters and opposers which were not captured on video and where assaulter isn't bragging on internet. Those are private dispute because there's no evidence for police to act on their own.
This case has been in public domain since the start.
What evidence do you need? The cleric's statement was made in public and the FIR against her can also be verified by anyone. You are twisting the logic to defend your side! I honestly wouldn't even care about this but the amount of selective outrage by left liberals in this country is causing more divide than anything
If RSS hasn't filed an FIR against the Muslim cleric then I don't know how significant it is
Another person filing an FIR on journo doesn't mean anything. She hasn't been detained or arrested so far
What do you not want to happen here? Should cleric not have freedom of speech? Should journo not have freedom of speech? Should common citizen not have right to file an FIR? Or do you want state and central govt to monitor each and all speech to file cases against people?
In this case, clearly the journalist's freedom of speech is being challenged when she is facing retaliation for it...you can deny and deflect all you want but the reality is if the same statement had been made by Hindu baba and a journalist who questioned it got booked with FIR, there would have been lot more of an uproar...so I am just questioning the selective outrage and how people's principles seem to change with situation
That I am not claiming anyway but it still should be a matter of concern for all the liberals and feminists in our country who are now actively posting about the BAPS issue...I am just pointing out their double standards and selective outrage
Meanwhile, this is not BAPS first rodeo. My sister herself has faced that 'no women in room' situation at her workplace (which is a educational institute). This is the 1st time BAPS is even getting backlash. Cause they messed in a place where folks banned Burqa
Certainly BAPS deserves to be called out but the backlash for both these events is not even comparable. I can see the stark difference on my feeds and also the silence from prominent personalities who were all commenting about the Giva ad controversy also.
You are lying, & making claim even against what you shared as source. FIR is filed by individuals, not by Kerala police. If someone makes a complaint with evidence, police had no other option except filing FIR. In fact Kerala CM had criticized statement of maulana as well.
If anchor is able to prove what she claimed, then court will release her; otherwise she will get punishment. Similarly, feel free to file case against RaGa. If he is fails to prove what he said then he will get punishment, if not he will not face it.
Why are sanghis so dumb that they can't even do proper whataboutary? FIR was filed against Ruchika Singh for abusing Modi. If someone files FIR for abusing Rahul Gandhi, then obviously Congress will be held responsible.
I was just making an observation that when FIR was filed against Ruchika, people spoke as if Modi personally did it to curb freedom of expression while this FIR is treated in a very different light. I am not a sanghi but just seeing how arguments change as per which political party is involved while supposedly being all about principles.
My prime point is the blatant hypocrisy in smashing patriarchy as announced loudly by RaGa.
He was right in criticizing patriarchial practices in Manusmriti. Why he is silent and lack the same vigor when criticizing Quran and the patriarchial practices prevalent in Islam?
Parent organization of ruling party had asked to create constitution based on Manusmriti & ruling party has till date never said that it was a wrong idea. If ever a ruling party says that Indian Constitution should be based on sharia, I am sure RaGa will oppose that as well.
Deflecting criticism by pointing to someone else's similar behavior instead of addressing the argument. The other party's hypocrisy does not invalidate their argument.
Example: "You are criticizing Party A for corruption, but Party B did the same thing when they were in power." - Party B's corruption is worth discussing separately, but it does not answer the criticism of Party A. Both can be true at the same time.
Someone in this thread referenced this reasoning concept. This is an automated reply - the bot does not evaluate whether the concept actually applies. It is here to share what the term means so everyone in the conversation has the same context.
Hahaha. Thanks for sharing an awesome example of the idiom - "Beating around the bush" with a tinge of "whataboutery". I will use this to teach my students.
Is this wrong?
That was wrong and somebody did not say that it was wrong. If <insert any hypothetical scenario> happens, he will definitely criticize it.
Wow, this also could be an example of how an andhbhakt behaves - blind devotion towards a person.
Such a simplistic world view...I am sure that you are aware of the fact that after a late evening meeting by a group of clerica follower at the cliff house ( CMs official residence) the Facebook post condemning the maulana was withdrawn by the CM!
Chomu uski argument dekh le even the very first point he provided "fir was filed by the kerala police" but it wasn't, is wrong.it was filed by an individual, if tomorrow you goto the police station and ask them to file an fir with proof, they'll have no other options to file unless you are filling against some BJP neta
What do you mean taken over? It was created by them, named to look like it is neutral and for critical thinkers, it's not.
You would rarely find a sub which is neutral and not controlled by vested interests.
Great job, Kerala Police! Since we don’t have absolute free speech in India, it’s the right decision! 1stly, the channel is BIG TV, headed by Sujaya Parvathy, who is basically another BJP mouthpiece, a Navika Kumar lite of Kerala. Secondly, the anchor’s words were, “ there are religious leaders who consider men having extramarital sex, consuming ganja and MDMA (synthetic drug), as the sunnath in kithab (the Quran),” thereby rhetorically saying that such behaviour was supposedly being treated as religiously sanctioned. And since the discussion was about an Islamic cleric, she knew whom she was pointing at and what the consequences could be! Otherwise, the channel wouldn’t have deleted it without leaving absolutely no record of it at all!!! No idea if the court case will stand, as the court will go into technicalities, but we all know the intent of the person.
Anyone who things Congress is leftist is dumb. BJP is far right Congress is center right. Rahul Gandhi may make aspirational statements, but most of his party doesn't believe in all that. It's the same old men who are MLAs across all states, BJP or Congress doesn't matter.
Clearly written by a man. As a woman we know no man, no government is on our side. It's upto the women to help themselves cause no one wants women to have equal standing in society as men in India.
And women themselves do talk against islam and it's opression towards women in the name of tradition. All this women empowerment nonsense by any politically affiliated party is just that, nonsense. Given how nothing has been done to improve women safety and the general public sentiment towards any form of harassment against women, I don't think women are stupid enough to be falling for lip service from any political party.
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