Youth Congress Protests Outside RSS Headquarters in Jhandewalan, Burns Manusmriti

Indian Youth Congress workers staged a protest outside the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Jhandewalan on Sunday, demonstrating against what they alleged was the discriminatory and casteist ideology of the BJP-RSS. During the protest, several demonstrators burned pages of the ancient text Manusmriti.

The demonstration was led by Indian Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib. Chib carried a copy of the Constitution of India and led the gathered Youth Congress workers in raising slogans directly against the Manusmriti.

Visuals from the protest site outside the headquarters showed demonstrators carrying copies of the Preamble of the Constitution, copies of the ancient text, and posters opposing the Manusmriti, news agency PTI reported.

As the demonstration proceeded, some protesters set pages of the Manusmriti on fire. Partially burnt copies of the text along with posters bearing the slogan "Reject Manu Smriti" were seen lying on the ground at the protest location.

Speaking during the demonstration, Chib alleged that the nation is currently witnessing a battle between two competing ideologies: the ideology enshrined in the Constitution and that of the BJP-RSS. He claimed that the ideology of the BJP and the RSS is inspired by the Manusmriti and described it as anti-Dalit.

Chib stressed that constitutional principles must dictate the direction of the country. "This country will be governed by the Constitution, not by the Manusmriti," the Youth Congress president said.

During his address, the IYC president also criticised an alleged "purification" incident involving a stage in Uttarakhand. The reported incident occurred following a programme that had been attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, prompting criticism from the Youth Congress leadership during Sunday's demonstration in the national capital.