Rahul Gandhi's Picture On Sanitary Pad Packets In Bihar Sparks Row

The Congress' decision to front Rahul Gandhi's face on the free sanitary pads it aims to distribute to women in Bihar has run into rough weather. The rival parties have questioned the rationale of Mr Gandhi's face on the product meant for women.

The pads are being distributed under the party's Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana, aimed at raising menstrual hygiene awareness among women in Bihar. The initiative, says the party, is part of a larger campaign for women voters in the state.

"This drive is in line with the promise of Rs 2,500 monthly stipend under the Mai Bahin Samman Yojana that INDIA bloc would implement upon coming to power. We intend to provide free sanitary napkins", said Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, who displayed packets containing the free pads, on Friday.

Over 5 lakh sanitary pad boxes will be distributed, said the party, underscoring the aim is to address menstrual health, break social taboos, and also spread awareness across rural and urban areas alike.

"What has happened to the Congress Party?" Nitish Kumar's party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar asked, calling the strategy a shallow electoral gimmick.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been working continuously to empower the daughters and sisters of state, to empower them and to build a robust landscape for their overall development. The election year has come; daughters, women are a symbol of respect and honour, but you, in an arrogant display of power, put your face on it (sanitary pads)," he said, slamming the use of Mr Gandhi's image on the sanitary pads.

MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's face, too, appears on the sanitary pad packets.

"It shows, in politics, what is called ideological bankruptcy or lack of intellect. Not understanding the situation, or, naturally, the outcomes of being with a party like RJD, which is known for its political misdeeds, the effect of that co-operation was seen," Neeraj Kumar further said.

Predictably, the BJP too joined the chorus of voices against the Congress.

"Whatever needs to be done for women in Bihar is being done by the government. But the Congress, which is worried about its prospects in the upcoming assembly polls, has shown its ideological bankruptcy. Its leader Rahul Gandhi has been notorious for lacking a sense of propriety. The trait seems to have afflicted the party, in which sycophancy reigns supreme," BJP spokesman Kuntal Krishna alleged.

Congress leader Alka Lamba countered the criticism, by trying to turn the needle on the question of women having to use cloth during their menstruation cycle.

"In the modern era, the question is not why Rahul Gandhi's photos are there on the packets. The question is why our daughters in Bihar are still compelled to use pieces of cloth during their menstruation cycle, and fall ill. The BJP has always had an anti-women mindset," she said.

Bihar will go to polls later this year.