Social media discussion has once again been sparked by the response of actor Hrithik Roshan to a viral video of BJP Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj linking the slogan ‘Vande Mataram’ to a message about dismantling patriarchy. In response to a post by Congress social media convener Ruchira Chaturvedi, Hrithik commented, “Huh? Is this real? Wow.”
In response to this, BJP Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj challenged Rahul Gandhi to sing all the six stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ if he wanted to discuss cultural and societal norms. Swaraj tried to make a connection between the remarks of Rahul Gandhi and the decision of Congress not to sing the national song beyond the first two stanzas. The exchange highlights how public figures and viral video clips continue to drive political discourse across digital platforms, often turning legislative disagreements into mainstream pop-culture talking points. Neither Bansuri Swaraj nor the BJP leadership has issued an immediate statement addressing the renewed online commentary.
The current controversy is related to the August incident when the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was addressing the young women in a ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ session in Pune. In his speech, Gandhi called for dismantling the system of oppression that can be described as a “Manusmriti mindset that wants to control women. Also, the politician criticised the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed to the woman protesters with offensive language.
