NDA enforces 5-hr bandh in Bihar to protest hurling of abuse at PM's mother

Patna: Women workers of the NDA constituents in Bihar on Thursday enforced a five-hour state-wide bandh to protest the alleged hurling of abuse at the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Congress' recently concluded 'Voter Adhikar Yatra'.

The members of women cells of BJP, JD(U) and other alliance partners enforced the bandh, which began at 7 am, and staged protests in Patna and other areas.

At Patna's Income Tax roundabout, the protesters raised slogans and displayed placards, slamming the Congress and RJD over the incident.

Senior BJP leaders, state ministers, party MPs, MLAs and workers will also stage a sit-in outside the state unit office later in the day.

Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Dharmshila Gupta, state minister Nitin Nabin and other senior leaders will participate in the dharna, a statement issued by state BJP said.

Speaking to PTI, Patna (Central) Superintendent of Police Diksha said, "Adequate forces have been deployed at all points to prevent any untoward incident." Similar protests were organised by NDA constituents in different parts of the state, including Nawada, Katihar, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga.

Last week, a purported video of a person screaming an expletive into a microphone at a small podium erected on the outskirts of Darbhanga by a local Congress leader went viral, even as the organiser claimed that no party functionary of consequence was present at the time of the incident.

The accused, a 25-year-old resident of Darbhanga, has been arrested, but tempers continue to be frayed with the BJP hitting the streets on the issue and its workers exchanging fisticuffs with Congress leaders at the opposition party's state headquarters.

In his first reaction to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2 said he was "deeply pained" by the incident, but asserted that while he might forgive the RJD and the Congress, the people of the state will never "pardon them".

"My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?" he had said, with his voice choking with emotion.

"I may forgive them for once, but the people of this country have never brooked any insult to one's mother... It is now the duty of every son of Bihar to hold the RJD-Congress combine accountable for their conduct. In every town and street, wherever their leaders go, they must get the message loud and clear that insult to mothers and sisters will not be tolerated," the PM had added.