Claim

Rahul Gandhi said 'there is a word Shakti in Hinduism, we are fighting against that Shakti', which the anchor equates with an attack on Hindu Shakti Peethas such as Vaishno Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Mai, Naina Devi and Kamakhya Devi.

“हिंदू धर्म में एक शब्द है शक्ति। हम उस शक्ति के खिलाफ लड़ रहे हैं। शक्ति किसको कहा जाता है? शक्ति पीठे कौन सी है हिंदू धर्म में? माता वैष्णो देवी है, माता चिंत पूर्णि है, मां ज्वाला माई है, मां नैना देवी है, कमाख्या देवी है।”

Rationale

Rahul Gandhi did make a statement very close to the quoted words at a March 2024 Mumbai rally, so the bare quote is roughly accurate. However, the anchor's framing is misleading: Gandhi explicitly used 'shakti' as a metaphor for a concentrated, unrighteous power controlling institutions (naming Modi as its 'mask'), and immediately clarified he did not mean any religious deity. He never referenced or targeted Shakti Peethas such as Vaishno Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Mai, Naina Devi or Kamakhya Devi — those temples are the anchor's own embellishment, converting a metaphorical political remark into a fabricated attack on Hindu pilgrimage sites.

Evidence

• https://www.outlookindia.com/elections/shakti-row-explained-how-rahul-gandhis-fight-against-shakti-remark-triggered-a-political-storm Explainer confirming Rahul Gandhi did say at a March 2024 Mumbai (Shivaji Park) rally 'In Hindu dharma there is a word shakti; we are fighting against that shakti,' but that he used 'shakti' to mean a concentrated power that had captured institutions (ED, CBI, EC, media), not a religious goddess. ✓ reachable · archived
• https://www.india.com/news/not-about-religious-belief-but-power-of-unrighteousness-rahul-gandhis-clarification-on-shakti-row-6796369/ Rahul Gandhi's own clarification that he was not referring to any religious 'shakti' but to the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood, of which he called Modi the 'mask'. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403
• https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/rahul-gandhis-shakti-row-congress-leader-says-his-comments-taken-out-of-context Reports that Gandhi said his remark was taken out of context and that BJP/Modi reinterpreted his metaphorical use of 'shakti' as an attack on the Hindu goddess. ✓ reachable · archived
• https://www.opindia.com/2024/03/rahul-gandhi-says-he-wants-to-fight-shakti-here-is-its-importance-in-sanatan-dharma/ Shows the counter-framing that treats 'shakti' as the Hindu divine feminine; Rahul never named any Shakti Peeth (Vaishno Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Mai, Naina Devi, Kamakhya) — those are the anchor's own additions. ✓ reachable · archived