Patna, Sep 4 : The NDA's statewide bandh, called from 7 a.m. to noon on Thursday, saw a significant impact across districts, with road blockades, closed markets, and traffic jams reported in several areas.

The bandh has been called to protest against and demand an apology for what it termed derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' of the Mahagathbandhan in Darbhanga.

In the state capital Patna, NDA leaders and workers hit the streets. BJP MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia, along with women workers, staged a protest at Income Tax intersection, blocking the road and raising slogans against the opposition.

In Ara, roads were blocked at Mathiya turn with loud slogans of 'We will not tolerate mother's insult.'

In Banka, the BJP Mahila Morcha blocked NH-33A in Panjwara market; shops shut, buses stopped at Amarpur block.

Women leaders declared, 'Mother is the form of Goddess; her insult cannot be tolerated.'

In Aurangabad, shops closed, and roads were jammed in the Tandwa and Navinagar blocks.

In Katihar, protests erupt at Shaheed Chowk and Mirchaibari Chowk. The protesters burnt tyres on the roads. Former Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad led a march, saying: 'The PM's mother is the mother of the entire country. Her insult is the insult of 140 crore Indians.'

In Darbhanga, women workers led by BJP Mahila Morcha president Sapna Bharti blocked roads at Delhi Mor Bus Stand.

Sapna Bharti, 'Until Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav apologise from a public platform, BJP's protest will not stop.'

Dr Ismat Jahan from the JD(U) condemned the Darbhanga remark, saying: 'It is unfortunate to abuse the Prime Minister from the land of Mata Sita.'

In Gopalganj and Siwan, the BJP workers forced shops to close, vehicles stopped on NH-27, and autos off the roads.

In Sasaram, BJP workers led by former MLA Jawahar Prasad and Lalan Paswan blocked the Post Office crossing, leading to a traffic halt and long queues of vehicles on either side of the stretch.

This bandh is notable as rarely does a ruling alliance call for such a statewide shutdown.

For the Grand Alliance (RJD-Congress-Left-VIP), the controversy has now become a major defensive challenge, as NDA leaders are positioning the insult as a moral and cultural attack on Indian values, while vowing to escalate protests further.

/IANS