Story perspectives

Rahul Gandhi Calls RSS “Anti-Constitutional Cult” on X

By Drooid · Oct 21, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC · How we work

Center

VHP brands remarks bankruptcy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X calling the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh an “anti-constitutional cult” that treats women as property.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal called Gandhi’s remarks bankruptcy, while RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat warned protests must not become tools and urged respect.
BJP spokesperson called Gandhi’s remarks and cited misconduct with a police officer and journalist.
On October 10, Gandhi accused police of enabling RSS-BJP to attack protesters amid roll tensions.

Right

BJP labels Gandhi hypocritical

On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X that the RSS is an “all-male, anti-constitutional cult” treating women as property.
BJP leaders said Gandhi’s attack is hypocritical, pointing to the RSS’s nationwide women’s wing and Congress’s failure to pass a women’s reservation bill.
MLA Ram Kadam said the RSS’s women’s wing places women in key roles.
CR Kesavan alleged Gandhi behaved inappropriately toward a police officer and journalist.

Blindspot

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, speaking at the Vijayadashami gathering in Nagpur, warned that protests should not become tools of vested interests and urged respect for constitutional limits.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, sparked nationwide communal unrest and reshaped Indian politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party, backed by the RSS, secured 182 parliamentary seats in the 1996 elections, a 12% vote increase. Today, Rahul Gandhi’s accusations that the RSS functions as an anti-constitutional cult echo the 1992 backlash that accused the organization of fomenting sectarian violence. The precedent set by the 1992 communal fallout pressures the Congress and judiciary to confront gender-rights claims within the RSS’s expanding political influence.

1 of 4

VHP brands remarks bankruptcy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X calling the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh an “anti-constitutional cult” that treats women as property.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal called Gandhi’s remarks bankruptcy, while RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat warned protests must not become tools and urged respect.
BJP spokesperson called Gandhi’s remarks and cited misconduct with a police officer and journalist.
On October 10, Gandhi accused police of enabling RSS-BJP to attack protesters amid roll tensions.

1 / 4