Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda ‘Expels’ Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism Over Manusmriti Remarks

Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda ‘Expels’ Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism Over Manusmriti Remarks

Badrinath, May 5: In a significant move that has sparked both political and religious debate, Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati has declared that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been ‘excommunicated’ from Hinduism. The decision stems from Gandhi’s controversial remarks on Manusmriti made during a Parliament speech in December 2024, which the seer claims amounted to an insult to Sanatan Dharma.

Addressing the media from the Shankaracharya Ashram in Badrinath, Swami Avimukteshwarananda said, “Rahul Gandhi insulted our sacred scriptures by claiming that Manusmriti protects rapists. We waited for three months for a clarification. A reminder was also sent, but he never responded. His silence implies a deliberate disassociation from Hinduism.”

During his December 2024 speech in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had said:
“I visited the victim’s house [Hathras case] where they told me the rapists were roaming freely, while the victim’s family was confined to their house. Where is this written in the Constitution? It is written in your book, it is written in Manusmriti. It is not written in the Constitution. And if you say you rule in UP and the Constitution does not apply there, then Manusmriti applies there.”
He accused the BJP of treating Manusmriti as superior to the Constitution.

The Shankaracharya interpreted Gandhi’s words—especially the phrase “your book”—as evidence that he does not consider Manusmriti, and by extension Hinduism, as his own. “A person who rejects Manusmriti as his text cannot be called a Hindu,” he asserted.

Interestingly, this statement contradicts the Shankaracharya’s own earlier defense of Rahul Gandhi. After Gandhi’s controversial remarks in Parliament in July 2024, the same religious leader had come out in his support. At that time, he said, “We heard Rahul Gandhi’s entire speech. He is clearly saying that there is no place for violence in Hinduism. I saw his entire video and found out that he had not said anything wrong.” He also alleged that the video clip being circulated was selectively edited to defame Gandhi.

The reversal in the Shankaracharya’s position has raised questions about the interplay between politics and religious authority. While Congress is yet to officially react to the excommunication declaration, the matter is expected to fuel further polarization in the ongoing political discourse.