Patna, Aug 29 (IANS) Tension flared in Patna on Friday after BJP workers staged a protest outside the Congress state headquarters, Sadaqat Ashram in Patna, over the abusive remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother by some party workers at an event during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga.
According to the police, a large number of BJP workers gathered at the Ashram gate and raised slogans against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders.
The protest soon turned violent when Congress workers came out in retaliation, leading to a major clash between the two sides.
Both groups reportedly attacked each other with sticks and also resorted to stone pelting.
Several workers from both parties sustained injuries in the incident.
A city bus passing through Ashok Rajpath, near the Congress headquarters, was also vandalised amid the violence.
As the clash intensified, Congress workers shut the main gate of Sadaqat Ashram to prevent further escalation of violence.
Meanwhile, Patna Police rushed to the spot and deployed a heavy security force to bring the situation under control.
The incident has added fuel to the ongoing political tensions in Bihar, with the BJP continuing to mount pressure on the Congress and RJD leadership to apologise for the abusive remarks against the Prime Minister and his late mother by party workers.
The controversy erupted after a purported video from Darbhanga went viral, showing an unidentified individual using a Hindi expletive against PM Modi on the stage during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ after snatching the microphone.
The offensive incident took place as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav were about to arrive in the area and people waiting for them climbed the dais.
The man who hurled the abuses has been arrested and the police are on the lookout for others.
According to police, the man identified as Rafiq allegedly snatched the microphone from the stage at a rally in Bithauli, shouted abusive words targeting the Prime Minister and his late mother.
The rally was organised by local Congress leader Mohammad Naushad, an aspirant for the Jaale Assembly seat, as part of the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’.
The video of the incident went viral on social media, showing several workers raising slogans and hurling abuses despite attempts by others to stop them. The video also captured children and locals climbing onto the stage amid the commotion.
–IANS
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