Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 5 (ANI): The Leader of Opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, on Saturday justified the move to put pictures of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the packets of sanitary pads, which they are distributing as a part of a welfare scheme.

Speaking to ANI, Saikia mentioned that there is nothing wrong with putting pictures on such good initiatives.

'Distributing 5 lakh sanitary pads is just the beginning, and such welfare schemes should be taken up. We have placed the picture of Rahul Gandhi, but there is no reason for the BJP to get angry. Even on tobacco, there are images of celebrities in advertisements. And if, for such a good thing, we are putting up the picture of our leader, then what is the problem?' Saikia asked.

Congress had earlier announced the launch of a sanitary pad distribution drive in Bihar. The box has pictures of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Speaking on the initiative, All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba claimed that a survey was carried out by her party, in which it was revealed that women in Bihar are still using cloth during menstruation.

'We conducted a survey in Bihar, and shocking figures came out that in today's modern India, women and daughters of Bihar are using cloth during menstruation and are falling prey to serious diseases. Mahila Congress has taken the initiative to give free sanitary vending machines to our mothers, sisters, daughters of Bihar who are using cloth due to unemployment, inflation, poverty and are unable to buy it,' Lamba said.

'We installed machines, gave free training, free machines, free raw material to make 30,000 pads. And today, I am happy to say that the women of Bihar are making these pads; they are getting work and earning a living. We are going to distribute free sanitary pad boxes in the next 2 days,' she added.

Earlier, Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Monday said that if the INDIA bloc comes to power in Bihar after the upcoming assembly elections, it will implement Rajasthan's health model in the state.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna, Gehlot said, 'The health model we have created in Rajasthan cannot be compared to any other in the entire country. We have also enacted the 'Right to Health' law in Rajasthan, under which every family has been provided with insurance coverage. The Government of India's Ayushman Bharat scheme benefits only a select few, whereas Rajasthan is the only state where we have provided coverage to the entire population of the state.'

Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. (ANI)