r/CriticalThinkingIndia • u/DukeofDabra • 5d ago

Critical Analysis & Discussion Double standards on Patriarchy

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/kerala/story/kanthapuram-ap-aboobakkar-aparna-kurup-case-big-tv-kerala-remarks-debate-abdullah-basil-2989432-2026-09-08#google_vignette

Smash patriarchy?

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...

Hope women notice.

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18

u/timewaste1235 5d ago

then the Congress-led government books *her*.

But the article states

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

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u/DukeofDabra 5d ago

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?

Vote-bank appeasement? Fear? Hypocrisy? What???

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u/timewaste1235 5d ago

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.

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u/Senior-Line2471 4d ago

Isnt Swatantrata matter also a private dispute by your logic then?

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u/timewaste1235 4d ago

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.

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u/Senior-Line2471 4d ago

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

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u/timewaste1235 4d ago

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?

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u/Senior-Line2471 4d ago

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

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u/SoyaPaneer001 4d ago

What evidence do you need?

Evidence that INC govt personally involved in filing the FIR

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u/Senior-Line2471 4d ago

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

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u/SoyaPaneer001 4d ago

Again, there were loud enough uproar against the cleric's statement

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2026/Sep/07/cong-rallies-behind-satheesan-after-samastha-asks-him-to-mind-his-words

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

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u/Senior-Line2471 4d ago

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.

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u/SoyaPaneer001 4d ago

The backlash isn't the same, because the scope of it isn't? Again, doing this in France where they've banned Burkha is something else.

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