Politicians slam Uttarakhand Minister’s husband for derogatory comment on Bihar women

Cutting across party lines, politicians in Bihar on Saturday (January 3, 2026) condemned the purported statement of Girdhari Lal Sahu, husband of Uttarakhand Minister Rekha Arya, that girls from the eastern State are “available for marriage at ₹20,000-25,000”.

Read | Remarks by Uttarakhand Minister’s husband trigger row

Leaders of the ruling BJP and opposition RJD, besides independent MP Pappu Yadav, criticised Mr. Sahu for the comment made at an event held in Almora last month.

While Uttarakhand is a BJP-governed State, the saffron party is a major constituent of the ruling NDA in Bihar.

A purported video, which has surfaced on social media, shows Mr. Sahu allegedly saying, “Will you get married in old age? If you are unable to get married, we will bring a girl for you from Bihar… you can get one there for ₹20,000 to ₹25,000.” Senior Bihar BJP leader Dilip Jaiswal denounced the remarks.

“People using such language are not anybody’s husband or son. That was a wrong act, and we condemn it,” said Jaiswal, who is the previous State unit president of the party.

RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad asserted that the language used by Shahu “insults the women of Bihar” and is “not appropriate from any angle”.

“For BJP national working president Nitin Nabin ji (who is from Bihar), this is an Agni Pariksha. It remains to be seen whether he dismisses the Minister from the cabinet or not, and whether he expels her husband from the party or not,” he said.

Mr. Ahmad also accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of “insulting women of the State”, and claimed that such acts have boosted the morale of the alliance leaders.

He was alluding to an incident in which the CM pulled down the ‘niqab’ (veil) of a female doctor at a government programme last month.

The women’s wing of the RJD staged a protest march on Saturday (January 3) in Patna and burnt an effigy of the BJP.

Another RJD spokesperson Sarika Paswan, who took part in the protest, claimed that by this statement, Mr. Sahu has put all “sisters and daughters of Bihar, including those of BJP leaders, in a single bracket.” She demanded that the saffron party take strong action against Mr. Sahu, so that none could dare to utter words like these.

Ms. Paswan asserted that the BJP is proving “what their leaders’ and ministers’ feelings are towards daughters”.

Independent MP Pappu Yadav, too, slammed Mr. Sahu for making such a statement.

“The government should sort out such cases through a speedy trial or permanently cut the tongues of those who use such language,” he said.

Mr. Yadav compared such people to “cow dung” and said their “approach towards women has always been like this”. While Mr. Sahu has issued an apology after the uproar, the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit condemned the statement and tried to distance itself from him, saying he had no connection with the party.

The Congress on Friday (January 2) said Mr. Sahu’s remarks were an “insult” to India’s women and demanded an apology from the BJP on the matter.