After ‘padman’ row, Rahul steers Congress’ ship in poll-bound Bihar by putting focus on crime
A day after the Congress’ “padman strategy” stirred a row in Bihar, Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday steers the party’s ship again in the poll-bound state while raking up its crime rate.
While targeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JDU-BJP coalition government in the state, the LOP alleged that crime had become the new normal in the state.
To underscore his statement, he highlighted the recent killing of BJP leader in Bihar and businessman Gopal Khemka. Khemka was shot dead outside his home in Patna on July 4. The incident took place near the ‘Panache’ hotel in the Gandhi Maidan police station area when Khemka was on his way home. He lived in the ‘Twin Tower’ society, which is adjacent to the hotel.
Congress leader Rahul’s remarks came after the party’s key election strategy in Bihar, inspired by the film ‘Padman’, to woo women voters by distributing sanitary pads, triggered a controversy after criticism by the BJP. The row erupted due to a picture of Rahul on the sanitary pad boxes being given to over 5 lakh women in the state, as the saffron party termed the Congress’ move as insult to Bihar’s women.
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 Rs 2,500 dole per month to women from deprived families.
In his comments on X, the Congress leader said, “The open shooting of businessman Gopal Khemka in Patna has once again proved that the BJP and Nitish Kumar have together made Bihar the ‘crime capital of India’."
He alleged that Bihar was “living under the shadow of loot, gunshot and murder”. “Crime has become the new normal here – and the government has completely failed," he wrote.
The Congress leader Rahul urged the people in Bihar to make a change in the state through their vote in the upcoming elections.
“Brothers and sisters of Bihar, this injustice cannot be tolerated any more. The government that cannot protect your children cannot take responsibility for your future either. Every murder, every loot, every bullet – is a cry for change. Now is the time for a new Bihar – where there is progress, not fear," he wrote.
“This time the vote is not just to change the government, but to save Bihar," he added.
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