‘I don’t plan it…’: Rahul Gandhi says he has faced marriage pressure for 20-30 yrs now

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi discussed several issues including safety and security of women, marriage, education and more with young Kashmiri women. In one such video shared by Gandhi on social media, he can be seen discussing marriage – and the pressures and expectations attached with it – with these women. 

In the fun banter, he asks the women about “marriage pressure”. One of the women says she does not plan to marry anytime soon and asks him his opinion about marriage pressure in return. Gandhi laughed the question off and said, “I have outlasted that pressure for 20-30 years.”

The woman asks him if he plans to get married. “Yeah I don’t plan it…but if it happens…” he said, till one of the women said “do invite us that day”. 

They also discuss the pressure they face from society and family to get married soon. One of them says that as soon as the woman finishes Class 12 or is a graduate, she faces immense pressure to get married.

Another one says that the rate of divorce is gradually increasing and if that’s how marriages are supposed to end then there is perhaps no need to get married. 

The video was liked over 332k times, and shared 11.8k times till this story was published. Most of the comments also lauded Gandhi for such informative interactions. 

In yet another video from the interaction, the women and Gandhi can be seen discussing harassment and discrimination. One of the women says that the harassment women faces at their workplaces are not all reported. Another one asks how Gandhi and the party expects to rectify it. He can be seen saying that he has discussed the issue with his mother – Sonia Gandhi – and said that social change is of utmost importance, and the attitude of men towards women needs to be changed.