A political storm erupted in Bihar on Friday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protested outside the Congress office in Patna, demanding action over a viral video that allegedly showed a man hurling profanities at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga. The situation quickly escalated into violence as members from both parties engaged in a physical confrontation.

Footage shared by news outlets captured dramatic scenes of BJP and Congress supporters clashing, waving and striking each other with party flags. Some BJP members were seen forcing entry into the Congress office compound, prompting accusations from Congress of a deliberate attack backed by the ruling government.

While BJP leaders insisted that their protest was peaceful until provoked, Congress alleged that the saffron party’s workers threw stones and initiated the violence. “A befitting reply will be given. This is happening with the government’s involvement. Nitish Kumar is doing wrong,” said Congress representative Dr. Ashutosh, criticising the state administration for allegedly siding with the BJP.

The flashpoint came after a video circulated on social media showing a man, draped in a Congress flag, using abusive language from a rally stage. The remarks were targeted at Prime Minister Modi and his late mother, sparking outrage across party lines. Following public backlash, the man seen in the video was arrested. Darbhanga Police confirmed on X: “In the said case, while registering an FIR under Simri police station, 01 accused has been arrested and is being sent to the court.”

BJP MLA Nitin Nabin expressed strong resentment. “Every son of Bihar will give a befitting reply to Congress for insulting a mother. We will take revenge for this,” he stated. The BJP has also filed a formal complaint and demanded apologies from top opposition leaders.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly criticised the Congress over the incident, describing the rally as shameful. “Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Congress politics has reached its lowest level. They cannot tolerate how a poor mother’s son has been sitting in the Prime Minister’s chair for the past 11 years and is continuously taking the country forward under his leadership,” Shah wrote on X, adding that this reflects the Congress’s “old ways” of degrading political discourse.

BJP President JP Nadda echoed these sentiments, saying the verbal attack had “crossed all limits of indecency”. He insisted that Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who shared the stage, must offer a public apology.

Nitish Kumar Condemns ‘Indecent’

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also condemned the incident. “The use of indecent language against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother from the Congress and RJD platforms during the Voter Rights Yatra in Darbhanga is extremely inappropriate, and I condemn it,” he said on X, distancing his government from the controversy.

Attempting to downplay the political damage, Congress leader Pawan Khera disputed the BJP’s claims. He accused the ruling party of using the incident to divert public attention from significant issues, calling it an “irrelevant” distraction. Meanwhile, Mohd Naushad, former National Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress, issued an apology but speculated that the remarks may have been made by individuals with “vested interests.” He stated the Congress would never resort to “cheap and disgraceful behavior.”

The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ was intended as a campaign to highlight electoral rights, but it has now become the center of an intensifying war of words between India’s major political factions ahead of the upcoming elections in Bihar.