BJP Mahila Morcha stages protest, demands Rahul Gandhi’s apology for derogatory comments

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Sunday launched state-wide protests demanding that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi apologise to the nation. The leaders said a Congress leader had made derogatory comments in Mr. Gandhi’s presence, and he should take responsibility.

Addressing party workers during the Saradhyam Yatra in Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav said Mr. Rahul Gandhi is “unfit for politics” and accused the Congress of stooping low in its Bihar election campaign. He alleged that the party was disrespecting women in a country where they are revered as ‘Matrumurti’.

State Mahila Morcha president Nishida Raju, who led a protest in Vijayawada where an effigy of Rahul Gandhi was burnt, said Indian women are held in the highest esteem, worshipped as Bharat Mata. She condemned Congress leader Mohammed Rizvi’s reported derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, demanding that the Congress expel him and that Mr. Rahul Gandhi issue an apology.

Protests turned tense in Vijayawada when BJP women activists clashed with police. Effigy burning, road blockades, and complaints against Mr. Rahul Gandhi were reported from several districts including Palnadu, Anantapur, Tirupati, and Vizianagaram. In at least 12 districts, complaints were lodged at police stations, while BJP cadres staged rasta rokos in many areas. Police deployed additional forces in sensitive areas to prevent escalation of tensions.