After kicking off a political storm by stating that he is fighting against “Shakti” while himself admitting that it finds mention in Hinduism, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has come out to clarify his remarks and accused PM Modi and BJP of “twisting his words”.
Notably, on 17th March, while concluding the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally where he made the controversial remark. Subsequently, BJP charged the Gandhi scion of fanning anti-Hindu sentiments and misogyny.
Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi berated the I.N.D.I. Alliance leader Rahul Gandhi for his ‘fight against Shakti’ remark. PM Modi also asserted that he is willing to sacrifice his life in the service of Nari Shakti. He also stressed that this Lok Sabha election will be between those who want to destroy Shakti and those who want to seek blessings from Shakti, adding that 4th June will be a showdown, “Muqabla 4 June ko ho jayega.”
In an attempt to do damage control after his controversial remarks, Rahul Gandhi shared a post on X where he tried to give his controversial remark a non-Hinduism-centric spin by re-defining “Shakti’ itself.
मोदी जी को मेरी बातें अच्छी नहीं लगतीं, किसी न किसी तरह उन्हें घुमाकर वह उनका अर्थ हमेशा बदलने की कोशिश करते हैं क्योंकि वह जानते हैं कि मैंने एक गहरी सच्चाई बोली है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 18, 2024
जिस शक्ति का मैंने उल्लेख किया, जिस शक्ति से हम लड़ रहे हैं, उस शक्ति का मुखौटा मोदी जी हैं।
वह एक ऐसी शक्ति…
According to the Congress leader’s post, PM Modi is the mascot of ‘Shakti’ that he is fighting against. He alleged that PM Modi does not like his words and always tries to change the meaning of them by twisting them.
Linking all his anti-Modi tropes with his definition of ‘Shakti’, the Congress leader added, “It is the Shakti that has captured India’s voice, India’s institutions, CBI, IT, ED, Election Commission, media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches.”
Continuing with the usage of the word that means Divine Feminine in Hinduism, Rahul Gandhi further alleged, “For the same Shakti, Narendra Modi ji waives off loans worth thousands of crores from Indian banks, while an Indian farmer commits suicide when he is unable to repay a loan of a few thousand rupees.”
Joining different issues together, the Congress scion added, “The same Shakti gives India’s ports, India’s airports, while India’s youth are extended the gift of Agniveer, which breaks their courage.”
While saluting the same Shakti day and night, the country’s media suppresses the truth, Rahul Gandhi added.
In a diabolical stance, after describing PM Modi as the mascot (leader) of Shakti, the post goes on to refer to PM Modi as the “slave of the same Shakti”.
The post reads, “Narendra Modi ji, a slave of the same Shakti, imposes GST on the poor of the country, without controlling inflation, he auctions the country’s property to increase that Shakti.”
Rahul Gandhi concludes by saying, “I recognise that Shakti, Narendra Modi ji also recognises that Shakti. This is not a religious Shakti of any kind, this is the Shakti of unrighteousness, corruption, and falsehood. That’s why whenever I raise my voice against him, Modi ji and his machinary of lies get upset and enraged.”
However, it is important to note that even before PM Modi addressed the issue, several netizens expressed shock at Rahul Gandhi’s bizarre interpretation of Shakti and accused him of being a Hinduphobic and misogynistic politician.
Shakti is deeply ingrained in Hindu theology, philosophy, and mythology
Shakti is considered to be the divine feminine which is the energy present in all beings. In Hinduism, there is no concept of fighting against Shakti, instead, Shakti is what helps fight against evil.
According to Hindu mythology, there are 10 Mahavidyas (also Dus Mahavidya) who are the manifestations of Goddess Shakti. They are Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala. All these Mahavidyas reside in Manidweepa (the eternal supreme abode of Shakti).
Click here to read the full concept of Shakti which is deeply ingrained in Hindu theology, philosophy, and mythology, and has a rich history dating back thousands of years.
