Pune: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday lashed out at “Manusmriti mindset” and urged girl students to “smash patriarchy”, while also taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that he was shocked to hear girls using abusive language during the recent protest at Jantar Mantar.

Interacting with girl students at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ outreach programme here, Gandhi said women belong to themselves and not to their fathers, husbands or sons, and termed as shameful the Manusmriti’s prescription that a woman should remain under the authority of male relatives at every stage of her life.

India’s biggest strength is the “70 crore unique journeys, unique imagination, unique dreams” of its women, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, adding that being somebody’s daughter, wife or mother could not be their only identity.

Gandhi played a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to abusive language used by girls during the agitation at Jantar Mantar over paper leaks and wondering how “daughters” could use such language, calling it a cultural shock.

The Congress leader said both boys and girls had used abusive language at Jantar Mantar, but the Prime Minister said he felt a cultural shock because girls used such a language.

If boys abuse, there is no problem and it is allowed, but if a girl abuses, it is a cultural shock, Gandhi commented.

He also referred to an old statement by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that rape happens in “India” and not in “Bharat”, and former Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar’s alleged comment that 80 per cent of rapes happen because of women.

“So this is a mindset, and this fight is against this mindset,” Gandhi said.

“What is the mindset? That a girl has a place, she should be locked in a cage, she should be controlled, she should not work, and boys should get full freedom. They can do whatever they want, if they want to abuse they can abuse, if they want to work they can work… We do not want such Hindustan,” the Congress leader said.

Both boys and girls should be respected, he added.

Women and girls are India’s strength, its foundation and its future, Gandhi said, adding, “patriarchy suppresses you, scares you, threatens you, controls you.” “Together we have to finish this patriarchy — smash the patriarchy! And my message to you, simple message: Be loud, be proud, and fight for your space in society,” he said.

Gandhi invited Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore on stage during the programme. Rathore said she questions the government on issues it does not like to be questioned, and in return faces a lot of abuse. What kind of democracy it is if one can not ask questions to the Prime Minister, she added.

Earlier, referring to the Manusmriti, Gandhi quoted a verse from the ancient text which says a woman must obey her father in her childhood, in youth she belongs to her husband, and when he is dead, she belongs to her sons. “These words are a shame. These words should not have been spoken,” the Congress leader said.

Women are the country’s biggest asset, he said, adding that they should stand for themselves and believe in themselves.

“You belong to nobody, except yourself. You have a relationship with your father, brother, husband, your son, but you do not belong to them, and you belong to yourself,” the Congress leader said.

Explaining why he considered women a greater asset of the country, Gandhi said, “My logic is that women are by nature more sensitive, more gentle, more compassionate and more forward-looking than men.” Women were often confined to three identities, daughter, wife or mother, the Congress leader said, adding that while there was nothing wrong with these relationships, these could not be their only identity.

Violence is used in society to prevent women from progressing, he said, citing various statistics about crimes against women and the discrimination they face. He listed “three forms of violence against women — physical violence, violence through denial of opportunities, economic violence”.

Gandhi said 4.5 lakh female foeticides take place every year, 80 per cent of women encounter harassment, 29 per cent endure physical violence, and 6 per cent face rape. He claimed 99 per cent of incidents of sexual violence are not reported because of social stigma. He also claimed that 84 per cent of women need their family’s permission to take up employment.

During the programme, Sharayu Chopde, a young Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirant told the Congress leader that women candidates suffer more because of exam-related malpractices and cancellations, as they have a “deadline” and face pressures of marriage and family.

She asked for Gandhi’s support for MPSC candidates in Pune who were seeking re-examination following a recent paper leak.

“Please stand with us. Please support us. Something unfair has happened to us,” she said. Gandhi said he would discuss the matter with the students, and asked them to explain the issue in detail and provide supporting material.

A tribal woman told Gandhi that tribal students had been observing a hunger strike at Manjari in Pune for the past 10 days over their demands. Representatives of the tribal community had approached the state government to draw its attention to the demands, but were told that the issue was in the hands of the chief minister, she claimed.

She also raised concerns over the condition of tribal ashram schools, and referred to the recent incident in Gadchiroli where three tribal girl students died after being bitten by a snake.

When she talked about the ongoing hunger strike at Manjari, Gandhi said, “Call me there, I will come and sit with you.”