Rahul flays PM Modi’s ‘Nari Shakti’ slogan over after women barred from Taliban presser

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the absence of female journalists from Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's presser here, saying by allowing "exclusion" of women scribes from a public forum, the prime minister is telling every woman in India that he is "too weak to stand up for them".

Gandhi also said Modi's silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the "emptiness" of his slogans on Nari Shakti.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Mr. Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them."

Mr. Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them.

In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. Your silence in the face of such… https://t.co/FyaxxCteK6

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 11, 2025

"In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the emptiness of your slogans on Nari Shakti," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The press conference addressed by Muttaqi on Friday saw participation restricted to a handful of reporters, while women journalists were conspicuous by their absence.

Muttaqi held the interaction at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, hours after holding wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

It is learnt that the decision on inviting journalists to the media interaction was taken by Taliban officials accompanying the foreign minister.

People familiar with the matter said the Indian side suggested to the Afghan side that women journalists should be part of the invitees for the event.

The Taliban regime in Kabul has faced severe criticism from various countries as well as global bodies like the United Nations for restricting the rights of women in Afghanistan.