Cong's pad scheme sparks row as Rahul's photo appears on boxes

Time of India

2 days ago

Patna: The Congress's announcement to distribute five lakh sanitary pad boxes under its 'Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana' triggered a political storm in Bihar on Friday after images of party MP Rahul Gandhi appeared on the boxes.
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The NDA criticised the move, calling it a "direct insult" to women, who have emerged as key voters in recent state elections.
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar, speaking in the presence of All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba, said the scheme was aimed at promoting menstrual hygiene awareness among rural women. "We have a special plan for the women folk in Bihar. We plan to provide free sanitary napkins to women for which we will launch an intensive campaign," Kumar told reporters here.
However, controversy erupted when he held up a sanitary pad box displaying Rahul's photo alongside the INDIA bloc's proposed 'Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana', which promises Rs 2,500 monthly to women if voted to power.
The ruling alliance reacted with outrage. JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar accused the Congress of degrading the dignity of women. "The Congress seems to have taken a leaf out of the book of its ally RJD, which has been known for a lumpen style of politics.
Our leader Nitish Kumar has been tirelessly working for women's empowerment and the results are for all to see. But the Congress has insulted the dignity of women," he said.
BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna echoed the sentiment. "Whatever needs to be done for women in Bihar is being done by the govt. But the Congress, which is worried about its prospects in the upcoming assembly polls, has shown its ideological bankruptcy.
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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," he said.
Women too expressed disapproval of the design. "This is nothing but an insult to the entire women community who will find the image of a male while using the sanitary pads. This is very bad. The Congress is stooping too low to win the support of the women voters," said Pinki Kumari of Muzaffarpur.
"If the Congress thinks it will get support of the women class by distributing free napkins with the image of Rahul Gandhi, then it is sheer stupidity," she added, arguing the focus should have been on women's safety.
"Rahul Gandhi is trying to emerge as a 'Pad Man' but that is not the way to launch a party campaign," said Sunita Singh of Vaishali.
Defending the campaign, Lamba said, "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 and becoming victims of serious diseases?"
She also criticised the BJP's response. "From a 'sindoor box' to vaccine certificates, the BJP, which prints Modi ji's photo on everything, is now troubled by Rahul ji's photo. The work that the govt should have done, we have started," Lamba said, crediting Rahul's "inspiration and visionary thinking" for making the campaign possible.
(WIth PTI inputs)