The Congress party on Sunday slammed the circulation of a “fake” viral video that allegedly misuses a photograph of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in a misleading and disrespectful context.
The video, widely shared on social media, shows Gandhi’s image supposedly printed inside a sanitary pad, part of the party’s Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana in Bihar.
The initiative, launched by the Mahila Congress, is aimed at improving menstrual hygiene and breaking social taboos around menstruation. The campaign features the distribution of over five lakh sanitary pad packets to women across the state, with photos of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the outer packaging.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate confirmed that an FIR has been lodged. “An FIR has been lodged against the misuse of Rahul Gandhi’s image to create a fake video. Action is also being taken against others involved,” she said.
Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV responded to the viral clip by posting a fact-check video featuring All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, debunking the claim that Gandhi’s image appeared on the inner side of the pad. “This is a deliberate and shameful attempt to malign a public health campaign,” he said.
However, the controversy escalated when former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam also shared the viral video and criticised the party. “The Congress folks have gone crazy. In the Bihar election, they distributed free sanitary napkins for PR, fine, but along with printing Rahul Gandhi’s photo on the packet, they even put Netaji’s photo inside the pad. This is an utterly cheap stunt!” Nirupam wrote on social media.
The BJP and JD(U) were quick to condemn the campaign. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar called the Congress strategy “a shallow electoral gimmick,” accusing it of disrespecting women. BJP leaders echoed similar sentiments. “Whatever needs to be done for women in Bihar is being done by the government,” said BJP’s Kuntal Krishna. “But Congress, worried about its prospects in the upcoming polls, has shown its ideological bankruptcy. Rahul Gandhi has long lacked propriety, and now the entire party is afflicted.”
Congress leaders, however, insisted the outrage is misplaced. “The question is not why Rahul Gandhi’s photos are there on the packets,” said Alka Lamba. “The real question is why our daughters in Bihar are still forced to use pieces of cloth during menstruation, leading to illness. The BJP has always had an anti-women mindset.”
She explained that the Mahila Congress initiative was driven by alarming survey data. “We found that many women in Bihar still rely on cloth due to unemployment, inflation, and poverty. So we provided free vending machines, raw material, and training — and now women are not only using these pads but also earning a livelihood by making them.”
The Priyadarshini Udaan Yojana is part of a broader campaign by the INDIA bloc, which includes a promise of a monthly stipend and free sanitary pads under the proposed Mai Bahin Samman Yojana.
As the state prepares for Assembly elections later this year, the initiative has become a political flashpoint. Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), partners in the Mahagathbandhan alliance, are hoping to regain power from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government currently led by Nitish Kumar.
In May, Rahul Gandhi toured several districts in Bihar, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and vowing stronger welfare policies for marginalised communities.
While the Congress insists its campaign is about health, dignity and empowerment, rivals are painting it as a desperate publicity stunt. With the elections looming, the battle for Bihar’s women voters is already heating up.
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