BJP’s K Surendran lashes out at Rahul Gandhi over Minister Shaji’s claims about Muslim girls on atheist sites

K.Surendran | Photo credit: S Mahinsha

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Secretary K. Surendran took a dig at Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and Kerala Local Government Minister KM Shaji’s comments that Muslim girls account for the largest share of followers on atheist social media sites.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Surendran said on Tuesday: “Patriarchy broken…again! Kerala minister and IUML leader KM Shaji is worried about the ‘progress’ of Muslim women. He says that Muslim girls are increasingly following atheist sites, that Muslim organizations have failed to ‘guide’ them and that this trend is a serious problem. So the question for Rahul G is public, the question for Rahul G Changing the beliefs of Muslim women Will you defend their freedom of choice Or does “women’s freedom” come with another book?

Speaking at a national seminar at the University of Calicut on September 27, Mr Shaji said young Muslim women were engaging in atheist content online. He also expressed concern about whether community organizations adequately understood or managed this progress.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 13:39 IST