Patna:
To protest against being dumped by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP had today called a Bihar bandh or strike.
Some of its senior leaders marched in the streets of Patna and courted arrest.
Among them was Ravi Shankar Prasad. "Nitish Kumar, despite the huge popularity of Narendra Modi, decided to dump BJP for his narrow political gains and betrayed the mandate given by the people of Bihar," he said.
150 workers from the BJP and Mr Kumar's party, the Janata Dal United or JD(U) attacked each other near their offices, which are just a few feet apart on a main road in Patna. No serious injuries were reported.
Most shops and offices were closed.
But a car showroom on the outskirts of Patna remained open and allegedly did brisk business. The store is owned by the son of senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav.
He was among the 11 ministers from the BJP who were sacked by Mr Kumar on Sunday when he announced his 17-year alliance with their party was a thing of the past.
JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh said it showed the popularity of Nitish Kumar that a businessman, even if he's BJP senior leader's son, decided to defy the bandh.
Senior BJP leaders were quick to respond and said businessmen don't want to lose business and added that BJP didn't target all businesses.
The car showroom had been inaugurated a few months ago by the Chief Minister.