Bihar Election 2025: The Congress party’s attempt to woo women voters by distributing sanitary pads has triggered a political controversy over a picture of Rahul Gandhi on the boxes being distributed to over 5 lakh women in the poll-bound state.
The initiative, called Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana, aims to raise menstrual hygiene awareness and is part of the Congress’s broader women-centric outreach.
The sanitary pad boxes feature a photo of Rahul Gandhi, with the Congress’s poll promise of a ₹2,500 dole per month to women from deprived families.
“An insult of women of Bihar with Rahul Gandhi’s picture on a sanitary pad! Congress is an Anti-Women party! Women of Bihar will teach the Congress and RJD a lesson,” BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a post on X.
The RJD is the Congress party’s alliance partner in the INDIA bloc in Bihar.
An insult of women of Bihar with Rahul Gandhi’s picture on sanitary pad! Congress is an Anti-Women party!
Political parties have been focusing on women-centric issues ahead of Bihar Elections 2025 scheduled later this year.
While the opposition Mahagathbandhan has promised a monthly cash transfer of ₹2,500 into women’s bank accounts under its ‘Mai Behan Maan Yojana’ if it was elected to power, the Nitish Kumar-led government has launched a ‘Mahila Samvad’ program – a village-to-village outreach program to connect with 2 crore women.