Pune: They came in large numbers from different parts of Maharashtra to hear him speak. They listened to him carefully when he spoke about the violence against women and unequal opportunities in society. When Rahul Gandhi said “smash patriarchy”, they — thousands of girl students and women — applauded in approval.“Some may say economy or military power is India’s biggest strength, but I am very clear that 70 crore women are India’s biggest asset,” Rahul said, addressing the gathering, mostly girls and women, at AISSMS College ground as a part of Congress’s “Chhatron ki Goonj” initiative.“Women by nature are more sensitive, compassionate and gentle. They are the biggest asset of India,” he iterated.After Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, this was the fourth edition of “Chhatron ki Goonj” — a student reachout programme of Congress. Rahul invited some girl students and women on the stage to share their experiences regarding sexual harassment, challenges while studying and issues they faced after paper leak.Rahul played a video on the giant screen of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, released after the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar. The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the Prime Minister was culturally shocked when girls protesting at Jantar Mantar used cuss words, but had no problem with boys using the same words.He said, “Our fight is against such a mindset. We do not want a country which gives all the freedom to men, while women continue to live in a controlled environment. We will work together to end the patriarchal system in India.”Rahul said, “Manusmriti mentions that a woman must never be independent. Such words should never be used to describe a woman. The woman belongs to nobody except herself.”Sharing some statistics with the crowd, Rahul said 99% of the sexual violence cases go unreported in the country. “Society tries to control women using different methods such as violence, disrespecting them and imposing time restrictions on them,” he said.During the interactive session, Bhojpuri satirist Neha Rahod performed a couple of satirical songs, taking a dig at the patriarchal society and the govt. “When I presented the real issues faced by women through my songs, all I got was an FIR against my name. I have been facing only abuses in the past five years,” Neha said.“I also have been receiving a lot of abuse for the last many years,” was Rahul’s response to Neha.Sharayu Chopade, one of the girl students invited for an interaction with Rahul, said she was dejected when the examination paper of the FDA inspector posts was leaked recently in Pune. “It was quite heartbreaking,” she said and appealed to Rahul to look into the issue.Rahul said, “Paper leak has a different impact on men and women. While men have more time in hand to reappear for the exam, women have a deadline for the same as the family may force them to marry.”Another girl from Palghar, Suchitra Pagi, pursuing masters in economics, said she faced sexual harassment by three men from a neghbouring village. When she filed a police complaint against them, her own villagers objected to her stand. “They were against my education, but due to my family’s support, I could come to Pune to pursue higher studies,” she said.
