The husband of an Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister triggered outrage after a viral video purportedly showed him claiming that “Bihari girls are available for marriage for just Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000”, prompting the Bihar State Women Commission to take suo motu cognisance and issue a notice to him.

In the video, Girdhari Lalu Sahu, husband of Uttarakhand Minister for Women and Child Welfare Rekha Arya, was seen speaking to a group of young people and asking them about their marital status.

“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 Rs 20,000 to 25,000,” the viral video showed Sahu allegedly saying.

The remark has sparked outrage in Uttarakhand and Bihar, with the Congress seizing the opportunity to mount a fresh attack on the BJP. The state president of Congress Mahila Morcha, Jyoti Rautela, said Sahu’s remarks are shameful, especially since his wife is the women and child welfare minister.

“This is an attack on the dignity of women and girls. This kind of thinking promotes social evils like human trafficking, child marriage, and exploitation of women,” she said.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also weighed in, posting on X that after allegedly buying votes for Rs 10,000, BJP leaders were now talking about “bringing girls from Bihar”, calling it reflective of a “toxic mindset” towards women.

Sahu, who has been linked to controversies in the past, has previously faced allegations in a double murder case. He has also been accused by a former domestic help of deceitfully facilitating the removal of his kidney in 2015 for a transplant to Sahu’s second wife. The domestic help, Naresh Chandra Gangwar, has claimed he was taken to Sri Lanka under the pretext of help and had his kidney removed at a hospital in Colombo.

Following the backlash, Sahu released a clarification video, claiming his remarks were made in reference to a friend’s marriage and were being misrepresented to malign his wife’s image. “If my words have offended or hurt anyone, I apologise with folded hands,” he said.

Meanwhile, state unit of the BJP has condemned the statement and distanced itself from Sahu, saying he had no connection with the party.

The Bihar National Commission for Women has written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami seeking a response over the remark. It also asserted that it will serve a notice to Sahu for the remarks. “His comments are highly condemnable. This shows his mental bankruptcy. How can he make such a statement about women when his wife is already a minister in the Uttarakhand government?” BSWC chairperson Apsara told reporters.

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(With inputs from Sanjay Singh.)