The Congress has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of unleashing “hooligans” to intimidate and disrupt its Voter Adhikar Yatra, after clashes broke out outside the opposition party’s headquarters in Patna on Friday.
The confrontation followed a protest march by BJP workers, led by Bihar cabinet ministers Nitin Nabin and Sanjay Saraogi, against a viral video purportedly from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s march in Darbhanga.
The clip showed unidentified people shouting abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother.
The Telegraph Online has not independently verified the authenticity of the video.
BJP workers pelted stones, vandalised vehicles and forced party members to lock the gates of Sadaqat Ashram, the Congress headquarters.
K.C. Venugopal, Congress general secretary, wrote on X that the attack was orchestrated by the ruling party to sabotage the march.
“Baffled by the soaring popularity of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, the BJP has once again unleashed its hooligans to intimidate and scare us,” he wrote. “The attack on our Bihar PCC office led by a sitting cabinet minister and other BJP leaders is an act of cowardice and will not deter us.”
Venugopal demanded strict police action and the arrest of the ministers involved. “The Bihar Police must take strict and exemplary action against the perpetrators of this crime,” he said.
Local police called the attack a “minor clash.” Diksha, Patna’s SP (central), said complaints of injuries had been received from both sides. “The matter will be investigated,” she added.
BJP has justified the protest, saying they were responding to the insult directed at the prime minister.
“We are not going to tolerate the abuse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi and his associates must apologise to the nation,” said minister Nitin Nabin.
Union home minister Amit Shah, speaking at a rally in Assam, derided the march as “Ghuspetiya Bachao Yatra” (Save Infiltrators Yatra), alleging it was aimed at protecting Congress’ “vote bank.” “In any democracy, elections are its soul. How can a nation be safe if infiltrators are allowed to pollute the system?” he said. He further demanded an apology from Gandhi for the alleged abuse.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh responded to Shah and wrote on X: “The Union home minister is a 2-in-1 WMD - a Weapon of Mischievous Distraction and also a Weapon of Malicious Defamation…Rattled, disturbed, and unnerved by the extraordinary response of the people of Bihar to the INC's Voter Adhikar Yatra, he is spreading lies on Rahul Gandhi and other leaders.”
BJP national president J.P. Nadda also condemned the episode in a video message, called the language used against Modi and his late mother as “highly condemnable and reprehensible.”
He accused the leader of Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of disrespecting Bihar’s culture. “The so-called Vote Rights Journey of the Congress… is also a disregard for Bihar’s culture on the soil of Bihar by two princes who have crossed all limits of indecency,” he said. “Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav should immediately apologise for this heinous act.”
The Congress has alleged that the abusive remark was planted by the ruling party’s “own agent” to manufacture a controversy.
“This remark has been made by their own man. They just want to create an issue so that they can divert attention from our Yatra,” he said. “We will not disrupt our own march. This is their toolkit—send people, get their own leaders abused, amplify it on social media, then come and attack our workers.”
On X, Pawan Khera accused the BJP of resorting to “goondaism” to derail the opposition march, adding that the party’s frustration was evident. “Their theft has been caught, so these people are panicking and have now come to create a ruckus in our Sadaqat Ashram. Their ministers and MLAs are attacking our workers. But the country and the people are watching this,” he wrote.