Season of Cyclones in the South, Disparaging Remarks in the North

A video is being circulated in which Neha Bora, president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and a close aide of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, is purportedly heard saying that Hindu Brahmin women are unsafe in temples and that temple priests (pujaris) sexually assault them. She also says that women need protection from Brahmins.

Her remarks have invited sharp criticism from the BJP, which has accused her of making disparaging comments about the Brahmin community and the Hindu faith. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said Neha Bora was echoing what he described as a Congress “anti-Hindu tirade”. He alleged that her comments reflected an ideological attack on Sanatan Dharma.

Bhandari suggested that her remarks appeared to be inspired by Rahul Gandhi. He recalled that in 2014, reacting to the gang rape of a woman in Delhi, Gandhi had reportedly said that people who visit temples to worship goddesses also molest women on buses, adding that girls are molested inside temples.

More recently, Gandhi also clashed with the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), over women’s rights, describing the organisation in a social media post as an “all-male, anti-constitutional cult”.

Bhandari also recalled what he described as the Congress party’s anti-Hindu tirade. “It is the same Congress party that has used terms like ‘Hindu terror’. Recall that Neha Bora is inspired by Islamists in Bangladesh. This tells you that the entire Congress ideology and thinking are against the unity and integrity of India because they are slandering Sanatan Dharma and targeting the Hindu faith, reflecting their communal mindset,” he said.

It may be recalled that at an AISA gathering in Gorakhpur on September 14, 2026, Neha Bora called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a gunda, dangai and lampat. Her remarks led to police complaints.