The NDA in Bihar has announced a five-hour bandh on Thursday to protest against alleged derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga. The bandh, led by the NDA women’s wing, will be observed from 7 am to 12 noon, with essential services remaining unaffected.

The controversy began after a video from the yatra in Darbhanga surfaced, in which an unidentified man was heard using abusive language against PM Modi and his mother. BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal said the protest was against such “abusive language” being used from the stage of the Congress-led rally.

Prime Minister Modi also reacted strongly to the incident. While addressing a public event on Tuesday, he said it was “unimaginable” that his late mother would be insulted in this manner. “Mother is our world. Mother is our self-respect. I had never imagined what happened a few days ago in the tradition-rich state of Bihar. My mother was abused from the stage of RJD-Congress in Bihar,” he said. The Prime Minister called it an affront not just to him but to all women.

However, opposition leaders have accused the BJP of politicising the matter. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised the NDA for calling a bandh despite being in power. He claimed the BJP was “rattled by the success” of the Congress-led yatra, which has covered over 1,300 kilometres across 25 districts in Bihar. “They are in power and yet they are calling a bandh,” he said. Yadav added that while no one supports insulting a mother, the BJP itself has a history of crude public remarks.

The accused, a 25-year-old resident, has already been arrested. The Congress-led INDIA bloc has clarified that the individual was not associated with any of its parties. The bandh is expected to see strong participation from NDA supporters, though emergency and essential services will remain unaffected.