Paromita Das
New Delhi, 8th July: In the ever-turning wheel of Bharatiya politics, irony is often just around the corner. Not long ago, Congress leaders were quick to deride and mock the BJP’s ambitious ‘Operation Ghar Ghar Sindoor’ campaign, branding it as regressive, patriarchal, and a shallow attempt to win women’s votes by appealing to symbols of tradition. Today, the same Congress stands under the spotlight — and scrutiny — for a publicity tactic that many find equally, if not more, questionable: sanitary pads adorned with the image of their star leader, Rahul Gandhi.
The Controversial Image: Rahul Gandhi on Sanitary Pads
When the photos first hit social media, many dismissed them as yet another piece of doctored misinformation in a hot election season. But disbelief turned into bemusement, then outrage, as it became clear these sanitary pads were real, officially distributed by the Bihar Congress under its proposed ‘Maai Bahin Maan Yojana’. The scheme aims to address menstrual hygiene — a legitimate issue still surrounded by stigma in rural Bharat.
But here’s the rub: why must a deeply personal hygiene product carry the face of a male political leader? Even the staunchest Congress supporters found themselves squirming. Many women activists argue that awareness drives are needed, but politicizing a menstrual pad with a man’s portrait crosses a line that should never have been blurred.
When Congress Mocked BJP’s ‘Ghar Ghar Sindoor’
It wasn’t too long ago that the BJP launched its ‘Operation Ghar Ghar Sindoor’ campaign in Hindi heartland states — an outreach drive that distributed vermillion and bangles to married women as a symbol of welfare schemes focused on women’s safety, financial support, and empowerment. Critics called it tokenistic, but it did strike a chord with many traditional households.
The Opposition’s Ridicule
The Congress wasted no time in calling out what it labeled as ‘patriarchal symbolism’. Top leaders mocked it as a backward attempt to reduce women’s agency to just the home and hearth. TV debates were flooded with Congress spokespersons scoffing at the idea of using traditional markers of womanhood as a political lure. Ironically, they now stand accused of packaging an equally personal part of a woman’s life — menstruation — into an election stunt.
The ‘Maai Bahin Maan Yojana’: Good Intentions, Questionable Execution
To be fair, there is no denying that menstrual health remains a neglected issue. Countless girls drop out of schools due to lack of access to affordable hygiene products. The Congress’s promise to distribute sanitary pads to 500,000 women in Bihar could have genuinely addressed this problem. But the optics were ruined the moment Rahul Gandhi’s smiling face was plastered on the packaging.
What could have been a sincere attempt at social awareness has now become fodder for memes and mockery.
Backlash from All Quarters
From BJP spokespersons to even allies like Chirag Paswan, leaders are lining up to slam the move. Calling it ‘mental bankruptcy’, ‘peak sycophancy’, and ‘insulting to women’s dignity’, critics argue that it reduces a woman’s biological need to a party’s branding exercise. One can’t help but wonder if those making these decisions have any women advisors at all.
Voices from the Ground
While urban audiences recoil in disbelief, many rural women too are said to be baffled. Several local reports suggest that village women are uncomfortable accepting pads with a male leader’s face on them — a discomfort Congress didn’t seem to anticipate.
Opposition Leaders React
The BJP has seized the moment, portraying Congress as tone-deaf and opportunistic. Pradeep Bhandari’s sharp words echo the sentiment on the ground: “It’s not about the pad, it’s about the politics stamped on it.”
A Party in Search of a Narrative
In a political landscape where the BJP has outpaced its rivals in crafting voter connect through schemes like Ladli Behna Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana, Congress seems perpetually stuck trying to find that elusive emotional chord. But if the best idea on the table is Rahul Gandhi’s face on sanitary pads, it speaks volumes about a crisis of imagination and leadership.
Rather than amplify women’s voices, this stunt reduces them to passive recipients of a political message — and a male politician’s photo. Good policy ideas deserve dignified execution. This was anything but that.
Branding or Betrayal of Women’s Dignity?
In the final reckoning, the Congress’s sanitary pad campaign could have been a powerful statement for menstrual health. Instead, it’s become a symbol of how far Bharat’s oldest party has drifted from reality. The need for menstrual awareness is real, but so is the need for political maturity. By turning pads into propaganda, Congress may have just handed the BJP another stick to beat them with — and left women asking an uncomfortable question: is our dignity just another election prop?
