New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has accusedBJP's ideological mentor, the RSS, of discriminating against women and "disempowering" them.

"RSS idea is aimed at disempowering women. Does anyone know many leadership positions are with women in RSS? Zero," Rahul said at St Edmund's College in Shillong.

Touting his own party's "pro-feminist" credentials, Rahul said: "If you see a picture of Mahatma Gandhi, you'll find women on this side (right), this side (left). But, if you see a picture of Mohan Bhagwat, he'll be alone or surrounded by men."

The Gandhi scion charged that far from empowering women, the saffron outfit was "giving more power" to men so they can "dominate without fear in the society."

"In our society, women have a very large space. They play a crucial role in decision making and running things. However, the RSS does not believe in women's rights," Rahul said.

He claimed that if the BJP formed its government in Meghalaya, there would be a threat to the state's culture, religion and way of living.

"We are fighting the RSS ideology across the nation. The idea is that one form of thinking is imposed on the country. What the BJP and RSS are doing all over India, particularly in North-East, is attempting to undermine your culture, language and way of life," he said.

He also appealed to women to join the Congress party, so that their interests and issues can find greater representation in politics.

In the past too, the Congress president has accused the RSS of not giving women equal representation in its organisation. During a campaign rally in Gujarat last year, Rahul had asked if anyone had ever seen women at an RSS 'shakha' meeting wearing shorts, the group's trademark khaki uniform. He had also targeted the ruling BJP over its preference for "silent" women.

"Their thinking is, as long as women are silent, all is good. But as soon as she opens her mouth, they run to shut her up," Rahul had said.