BJP – Congress Workers Clash in Patna over Alleged Use of Expletive against PM’s Mother

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 29: The Congress and the BJP workers clashed against each other in Patna on Friday after the agitating saffron party workers broke open the main gate of “Sadaqat Ashram,” the headquarter of the Bihar state Congress, during protests over alleged use of abusive language against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother from a Congress dais a couple of days ago.

The BJP organised the protest even as the Bihar police arrested the alleged abuser from Darbhanga on Friday morning. The police said the accused, identified as Mohammad Rizvi alias Raza (20), was arrested from Singhwara locality of Darbhanga town.

A case was registered against him and others on the basis of a complaint filed by the BJP’s Darbhanga district president Aditya Narayan Choudhary. A case was also filed against the Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Patna over the Darbhanga incident.

A purported video surfaced on Thursday showed a man wearing a Congress flag using a Hindi expletive against Mr Modi’s late mother from a dais raised during the on-going “Voter Adhikar Yatra” by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav in Darbhanga town. The abusive language was allegedly hurled much after Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Vadra and Mr Yadav had left for Muzaffarpur on motorcycles on Wednesday in continuation of the Yatra.

The BJP workers, led by senior leaders like ministers Nitin Nabin and Sanjay Saraogi, besides MLA Sanjiv Chaurasia, marched to Sadaqat Ashram a couple of kilometres away, raising slogans against the incident in Darbhanga. A video showed a large number of workers of the two parties carrying their respective party flags attacking each other.

The gates of Sadaqat Ashram were reportedly locked from inside by Congress workers. The protesting BJP workers broke open the gates and also damaged some vehicles parked inside. The situation was brought under control following the intervention of the police, which persuaded the BJP workers to retreat.

Visuals shared by a news agency showed utter chaos; a mob of BJP workers invaded the Congress compound, forcing themselves past a few despairing cops and storming the gate. Once inside they vandalised property before Congress workers come out to engage them. The video showed a man in a saffron dress smacking a flatbed lorry with a lathi while others cheer.

The police, however, said, “It was a minor clash, and we have received complaints of injuries sustained by people from both sides. The entire matter will be investigated and further action will be taken accordingly,” Superintendent of Police, Patna (Central) said. A group of Congress workers later sat on a dharna outside the Sadaqat Ashram gates in protest against “gundagardi” (hooliganism) of the BJP.

Talking to media persons, BJP minister Nitin Nabin said they would give a “befitting reply” to Congress. “Every son of Bihar will give a befitting reply to Congress for insulting a mother. We will take revenge for this,” he said. “We are not going to tolerate the insult to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi and his associates must apologise to the nation,” said Mr Nabin.

In response, the Congress also said they would “give a reply” to the ruling party for their “involvement” in the incident. “A befitting reply will be given. This is happening with the government’s involvement. Nitish Kumar is doing wrong,” Congress workers said.

The Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Assam on Friday hit out at the Congress over the incident saying the party “always abused PM Modi.” “Congress is behind the culture of hatred…they want to save infiltrators. Rahul Gandhi should speak up and apologise for this,” he said.

Mr Shah claimed that Mr Gandhi’s politics has touched the “lowest level” with his “Ghuspetiya Bachao Yatra (Save Infiltrators Yatra)” in Bihar. “Rahul Gandhi should apologise if he has any shame left. The nation is watching him and his party in disgust,” he said. “The Ghuspetiya Bachao Yatra is to protect Congress’ vote bank, but in any democracy, election is its soul. How can a nation be safe if infiltrators are allowed to pollute the system?” Mr Shah asked.

“The Congress’ politics is negative… It has crossed all limits with the abuse of the PM and his late mother from the platform of its yatra in Bihar,” he said. Mr Shah asserted that Mr Modi was feted across the world, and “no amount of abuse can stop the lotus from blooming.” On Thursday, he had termed the incident a “stain” on the country’s democracy and said under Mr Gandhi’s leadership, the party has “reached its lowest level.”

“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,” he wrote in a post on X. He added, “This clearly shows that the Congress party has returned to its old ways and character, through which it has always poisoned the country’s political culture.”

BJP President JP Nadda also hit out at the Opposition party, saying the abuses hurled against PM Modi and his mother have “crossed all limits of indecency,” and demanded Mr Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav – who was a part of the rally – to apologise.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called the incident “inappropriate.” “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.

The Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, however, denied the incident, saying the BJP was raising “irrelevant” issues to distract from the crucial ones. He claimed that some “BJP agents” had “infiltrated” the Darbhanga event and “raised the wrong slogans.” Playing down the issue, he accused the BJP of manufacturing this outrage “so people’s attention can be diverted from the Voter Rights yatra”.

“That is why they are panicking and created a ruckus (referring to the Patna clash). Their ministers and MLAs are attacking our workers… but the country and our countrymen are watching all this and now their goondaism will absolutely not be tolerated.”

Rahul Gandhi himself on Friday responded sharply after the Congress – BJP clash in Sadaqat Ashram. In a short post on X, Mr Gandhi said, “Truth and non-violence will prevail… untruth and violence cannot stand before them. Beat and break (us) as much as you want… but we will continue to protect the truth and the Constitution. Satyameva Jayate (the truth will always win).”