People must know how Parliament was held hostage: Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to BJP MPs via an audio bridge on Wednesday urging them to “share how Parliament was held hostage by some political parties and not allowed to function”. The BJP will observe a day-long fast on this issue.

The second half of the Budget session of Parliament was a washout. Mr. Modi blamed the Opposition parties for “trying to crush democracy”.

“It is the 12th tomorrow and we are going to be observing a fast. The Parliament was held hostage by a handful of people who could not gain power in 2014, who now, in their arrogance and frustration, do not want the country to move forward. They haven’t allowed the Parliament to function. It is the poor of the country who are served by the work in Parliament. These people [Opposition], because of their desire for power, are trying to crush democracy. It is our duty to convey this to the people, for which we are observing a fast. I will be fasting tomorrow while going about my work, I urge all of you to also observe the fast and tell as many people as you can about the way Parliament was held hostage,” said Mr. Modi.

Mr. Modi’s schedule for Thursday includes addressing a gathering at the Defence Ministry event “Defexpo” being held in Chennai. Party president Amit Shah will be joining a protest on the same issue in Karnataka.

The Congress on its part dismissed the BJP’s call for a fast as yet another photo opportunity.

Randeep Surjewala, All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of media, said, “Mr. Prime Minister, this is not the time for you to fast but to take sanyas [renunciation] because of the failures of your government.”