Tumkur: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who launched the party’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in South India on a two-day visit to Karnataka, on Sunday addressed his first all-women rally in Tumkur a day after he addressed a rally in Belgaum where he attacked the main opposition BJP for rampant corruption and looting the state.

Rahul’s rally, whose idea was oriented from his views on need for women empowerment, focused on women and the aim to bring more women forward in the election process. Rahul, who was recently named the co-chairman Congress Campaign Committee for the Lok Sabha polls, said that unless the women of India are empowered, the country can never become a super-power. “We want to use your (women’s) strength in the progress of this country,” Rahul said.

Advocating the need to empower women, he pointed out that the states where women are being empowered are progressing at a faster pace than other states. The Congress VP said that 20 lakh women in Karnataka have been associated with banks, this changed their life.

Rahul, in his speech, also spoke about his pet topic of getting the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in Parliament. Highlighting the work done by the Congress for women, he said that the party’s programs like RTI, MNREGA and others have been formulated to help the women.

On the issue of crime against women, Rahul said the Congress passed a stringent law against rape. Saying that there is no progress without women, the newly appointed co-chairman Congress Campaign Committee said that we (Congress) want to open the doors of schools, hospitals, Parliament for women.

Taking on the Opposition, Rahul said that they don’t respect women and their ‘ideological sangatan’ doesn’t have place for women.