"Fight for your space and do not consider yourself less than any man," Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Friday during an interaction with women in Odisha's Koraput district on the occasion of International Women's Day.

Addressing the gathering at Siva Sai function hall, Rahul said, "Fight for your space and do not consider yourself less than any man. When you are being oppressed, you should not retreat."

"Eight women are being raped in Odisha every day and only seven women get justice in one year. We will have 'zero tolerance' in rape cases," he said.

Rahul further said, "Maternity-related deaths should be battled with information and access to high-quality healthcare. We should not only help farmers and women of Koraput, but we need to connect the youngsters of Koraput to the rest of the world."

"We are trying to bring Women Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha and Legislative assembly. When our government will be formed, we will try to pass the bill in Lok Sabha," he underlined.

Hours ahead of the interaction, Rahul had tweeted: "While saluting the undaunted, fighting spirit of women this #InternationalWomensDay, I would also like us to recommit ourselves to breaking the barriers that continue to hinder their path to freedom & equality.

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