Patna: Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Patna for his comments on 'mangalsutra', linking it to various national tragedies. Yadav, Bihar's former deputy chief minister, challenged the Prime Minister to account for the numerous instances where women were metaphorically stripped of their 'mangalsutras' due to widowhood following events such as the Covid pandemic, demonetisation, the Pulwama terror attack, and border clashes with Chinese troops.

Yadav was reacting to Modi's assertion that the Congress, an ally of RJD, intended to seize the wealth of ordinary people, including 'mangalsutras', to distribute among "infiltrators" and "those who have more children", a veiled reference to the Muslim community. He questioned the relevance of discussing 'mangalsutras' at a time when the rising cost of gold has made them unaffordable for many women.

The context of Yadav's comments includes an incident where over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a vehicle convoy attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir in February 2019, prior to the general elections.

Similarly, Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party also criticized Prime Minister Modi on related grounds. Speaking at a rally in support of SP candidate Annu Tandon, she highlighted the loss suffered by soldiers' families in the Pulwama attack and questioned the government's response to the tragedy. Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, emphasized the need for accountability regarding the incident, urging those who invoke the 'mangalsutra' in political discourse to also consider its implications for the widows of martyred soldiers.