Dehradun/Patna: A controversial statement made by Girdhari Lal Sahu, the husband of Uttarakhand's Women and Child Welfare Minister Rekha Arya, has ignited a political firestorm and widespread condemnation. Sahu, at a BJP function in Almora on January 1, 2026, purportedly claimed that "girls from Bihar are available for marriage at Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000," a remark that has drawn fierce criticism from across party lines in Bihar and prompted official action.
Viral Video Triggers Political Condemnation
The incident came to light after a video from the event went viral on social media. In the clip, Sahu is seen advising a man to get married, suggesting he could find a woman in Bihar for the stated amount. The comment was met with laughter from the audience. The backlash was swift and severe, uniting Bihar's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties in condemnation.
The Bihar State Women Commission (BSWC) took suo motu cognisance of the matter and served a formal notice to Sahu, seeking an explanation for his "derogatory and disrespectful" statement. A BSWC official stated that the remark not only denigrated women but was also an insult to the state of Bihar.
Cross-Party Fury and Demands for Action
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) strongly criticized the comment. Party chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar labeled Sahu's words as "anti-women" and spoken "like a lumpen element," supporting the Women Commission's notice. Even Sahu's wife's party, the BJP, distanced itself from the remark. BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan called the statement "highly insensitive" and demanded strong action to set an example, emphasizing Bihar's dignity as the land of Sita.
The principal opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), launched a sharper attack, linking the comment to the BJP's ideology. RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said the remark reflected the "Manusmriti thought process of the BJP and RSS" and deemed a simple apology insufficient. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, in a post on X, accused the BJP of having a "toxic mindset" towards Bihar and women.
Apology and Controversial History
Facing intense pressure, Girdhari Lal Sahu issued an apology for his remarks, claiming he spoke in a "general sense" and did not intend to offend anyone. His wife, Minister Rekha Arya, who is the BJP MLA from Someshwar (SC) in Almora and the only woman in the Uttarakhand cabinet, has not commented publicly on the controversy.
This is not the first time the couple has been in the news for contentious reasons. The article notes that Arya has had past conflicts with bureaucrats and faced allegations of using religion to promote a government scheme. Sahu himself has been in legal headlines; in 2021, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in a decades-old double murder case, though charges were framed against 11 individuals collectively.
The BJP's Uttarakhand unit was quick to clarify that Sahu is not a member of the party. State media in-charge Manveer Chauhan condemned the statement and asserted that the party does not share such "disgraceful sentiments." The controversy underscores the sensitive nature of regional dignity and gender respect in India's political discourse, with the incident occurring in a state, Uttarakhand, which had a gender ratio of 963 women per 1000 men as per the 2011 Census.
