BJP demands Rahul's apology over 'cultural issue' remark

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise for calling violence against women in India a "cultural issue."

"Rahul should apologise for saying that whatever is happening in India against women is because of problem in our culture. He could have talked about mindset. I agree that there is a problem with the mindset of a few people. But he is trying to put India down by saying that there is a problem with Indian culture," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said while addressing a press conference here.

On Wednesday, while addressing a gathering at Kampnagel Theater in Bucerius Summer School in Germany, Rahul Gandhi said: "I would disagree with the idea that India is the most unsafe place for women. But, I would agree with the idea that the treatment of women in India leaves a lot to be desired. There is a huge amount of violence against women in India. A lot of it is visible, a lot of it is on the streets, but a huge amount of it is invisible. It happens in houses. A woman never talks about it. It is a cultural issue, it is an issue of how Indian men view Indian women and I think it requires a huge amount of work to fix that problem."

Meanwhile, Sambit Patra also criticised the Congress party regarding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

"Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, all 36 states and Union Territories have the Right to Food. In 70 years they (Congress) reached the mark of 11. But we have reached every home with the Right to Food. You say that we have weakened MGNREGA? Rahul ji MGNREGA was a monumental failure during your time. From monumental failure to a monumental success - this is the story of MGNREGA. Under Prime Minister Modi's regime, over 56 per cent women have got jobs," Patra said.