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Congress will distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women in Bihar with Rahul Gandhi’s photo under the Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana. Chirag Paswan condemned it.
Congress To Distribute Sanitary Pads With Rahul Gandhi’s Picture In Bihar. (Photo/X:@LambaAlka)
Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress announced on Friday that it will distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women. The sanitary pads will have a picture of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
The initiative, called Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana, aims to raise menstrual hygiene awareness and is part of the Congress’s broader women-centric outreach.
While addressing a press conference in Patna, Congress State President Rajesh Ram said that the party will launch a campaign through the Mahila Congress to distribute sanitary pads to 5 lakh women, while also promoting awareness about health issues among them.
“We are going to launch a campaign through Mahila Congress to distribute sanitary pads to women, and our target is to reach 5 lakh women. Mahila Congress members will also spread awareness about health issues,” he said.
What seemed to be a key election strategy by the Congress in Bihar, inspired by the film ‘Padman’, to woo women voters by distributing sanitary pads, has triggered a full-fledged controversy in the state.
BJP Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called the decision to have Rahul Gandhi’s photo on the sanitary pad “an insult to women”, emphasising that “Congress is an anti-women party, and the women of the state will teach Congress and RJD a lesson.”
Union Minister and LJP leader Chirag Paswan condemned the campaign announced by the Congress, calling it an “inappropriate” decision to have Rahul Gandhi’s photo on the sanitary pad.
“It is a good thing that the Congress party is distributing sanitary pads, but having Rahul Gandhi’s photo on them is completely inappropriate. I condemn this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Alka Lamba responded to the controversy, emphasising the real issue of menstrual hygiene in Bihar. She criticises the BJP’s stance as anti-women, highlighting the need to address the root problem of women using cloth during menstruation and facing health risks.
“In the modern era, the question should not be why Rahul ji’s photo was put on the sanitary napkin box—the real question is why our daughters in Bihar are still forced to use cloth during menstruation, becoming victims of serious diseases? BJP’s thinking has always been anti-women,” she posted on X.
The Assembly elections in the state are expected to take place in October or November this year.
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