A BJP state committee leader added, “For workers, it’s a protest and for MPs, it’s a fast. Taking a selfie while on stage to share on social media or eating before the protest is not correct.”
Instructions have been issued by BJP Delhi MPs to its workers ahead of the day-long fast led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Parliament disruption on Thursday: don’t be seen eating, don’t click selfies, clear food vendors from the area and don’t fast if you’re diabetic.
The BJP said the PM would observe a day-long fast Thursday, along with all party MPs, in protest against disruptions during the last Parliament session. While Modi is likely to stick to his schedule, including the inauguration of the defence expo in Kanchipuram near Chennai, party MPs are likely to observe the day-long fast at respective district headquarters.
A party statement said, “To expose the Congress for its undemocratic style of functioning and pursuing divisive politics and anti-development agenda, PM Modi will observe day-long fast on April 12… He will be joined by BJP MPs, who will also observe a day-long fast and hold ‘dharnas’ across India.”
While all MPs have been asked to observe a day-long fast and “clearly place facts before the public and media that the Congress has murdered democracy by stalling Parliament”, a section of Delhi MPs added their own specific instructions to the workers.
A photo tweeted by BJP leader and spokesperson Harish Khurana, which saw Delhi Congress leaders eating before the party’s nationwide fast, had recently gone viral, leaving the party red-faced.
A BJP leader told The Indian Express, “We have told workers that the entire country’s media and the Opposition would be scouring the city looking for some BJP worker who they can catch doing something controversial. We can’t let that happen.”
The consequent instructions include prohibiting anyone from taking a selfie while on stage, asking workers not to be seen eating before the fast, and an advisory to diabetic patients not to join the fast.
Moreover, some BJP leaders in parts of Delhi where there are many eateries have raised concerns. A senior leader from Chandni Chowk said, “The protest is taking place at Town Hall. That area has many eateries that serve really great food. It would be natural to be tempted, so we have requested vendors if they could sit elsewhere during the duration of the protest. We have also asked workers and leaders to be careful.”
A BJP state committee leader added, “For workers, it’s a protest and for MPs, it’s a fast. Taking a selfie while on stage to share on social media or eating before the protest is not correct.”
Khurana told The Indian Express, “We have asked workers to understand that they should realise the spirit of the protest, and that the fast needs to be respected. We have, for instance, asked diabetic patients not to fast. They need to eat every one or two hours. If they don’t, they might faint and that is not ideal.”