Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to stick to his schedule and work from his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. (Express photo)
BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will observe a day-long fast Thursday in protest against the washout of Parliament proceedings during both legs of the Budget session.
Prime Minister Modi will stick to his daily schedule and work from his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Later in the day, he will travel to Kanchipuram near Chennai to inaugurate the defence exposition. Several BJP MPs are likely to observe the fast at district headquarters across the country. BJP president Amit Shah will fast in poll-bound Karnataka, while Union Health Minister J P Nadda will fast in PM Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi.
The BJP’s fast comes days after the Congress held a nationwide fast on April 9 to protest against Dalit atrocities and acts of communal violence that have seen a flare up across the country. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, however, took on the BJP over a rape case involving its lawmaker. He tweeted: “The atrocities committed on a father who was calling for justice for his daughter in Uttar Pradesh has shamed mankind. It is to be hoped that the Prime Minister will hold a fast soon over the violence against women, the failure of law and order and growing anarchy under the BJP rule”.
Highlights
PM Modi: It is a fast to expose ‘enemies of democracy’
Addressing BJP MPs on the party’s foundation day, PM Modi directed all party units across the nation to observe the fast. he also addressed party MPs through an audio conference call ahead of the protest Wednesday and said the BJP leaders and its workers will observe the fast tomorrow to “expose” those handfuls of people who “throttled” democracy by stalling Parliament proceedings.
No eating and no selfies, BJP advises workers ahead of fast
BJP Delhi MPs on Wednesday issues instructions to its workers ahead of the day-long fast led by PM Modi: don’t be seen eating, don’t click selfies, clear food vendors from the area and don’t fast if you’re diabetic. 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.
Meanwhile, the Congress observed a nationwide fast on April 9 to protest atrocities against Dalits and acts of communal violence across the country. However, the image of its leaders eating chhole bhature before the fast went viral resulting in deep embarrassment for the party. “Wow our Congress leaders, they invited people to join the hunger strike, but they themselves are relishing chhole bhature at a restaurant … clearly befooling (people),” BJP leader Harish Khurana tweeted with the image of Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken having food along with Amrinder Singh Lovely at a food joint.
AIMIM party chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a jibe against PM Modi and wondered if he would undertake a fast on the farmers’ suicides issue and also to atone for “false” promises made by him. “If the Prime Minister wants to fast for losing the whole session of parliament, I want to ask the honourable prime minister where is his sense of duty lost, wherein, in the past four years thousands of farmers committed suicides. Will the Prime Minister fast for those farmers? Will he sit on fast against the atrocities against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh? Why does not the Prime minister sit on fast to atone for his false promises?,” the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP questioned.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who recently snapped ties with NDA over special status to the state, questioned PM Modi fasting against Parliament impasse, alleging it was the Centre which ensured the disruption by provoking AIADMK over the Cauvery issue. “They provoked the AIADMK and ensured” that the MPs of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu stormed the well of the Lok Sabha and thereby did not allow TDP to raise its demand (for grant of special category status to Andhra Pradesh). How atrocious? And now he (Prime Minister) says he will observe protest…seeking to portray the opposition as wrong and he is right. Is it correct? Is it justified,” he questioned.
Taking a swipe against PM Modi’s proposed fast, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi cited the Unnao rape incident and said he hoped that the prime minister would observe a fast “over atrocities against women, failed law and order and increasing anarchy under the BJP’s watch.” Calling it a “drama” and “photo-op,” Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala blamed the BJP for Parliament washout. “Prime Minister ji, it is not the time to observe fast, in view of your failures… it is time to take retirement instead. If you do not wake up now, you should understand that the time of your retirement will come in 2019 when people will vote you out,” he added.
PM Modi has directed all the party lawmakers to observe fast in their respective constituencies. While PM Modi will lead the party from New Delhi, Amit Shah will hold a sit-in at Hubli in poll-bound Karnataka. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu will accompany PM Modi in the national capital. Union Health Minister J P Nadda will be in Modi’s constituency Varanasi, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will travel to Patna for the fast. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will observe the fast in Chennai, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javdekar in Bengaluru, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel in Tamil Nadu and Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. Tourism Minister KJ Alphons will observe the fast in Kerala.
PM Modi said, “The people who couldn’t gain power in 2014, don’t want the country to move forward. They didn’t let Parliament work for a single day. They killed democracy and we will observe fast to bring their crime in front of the world. I will also hold fast. But I will continue my work.”
Addressing BJP MPs on the party’s foundation day, PM Modi directed all party units across the nation to observe the fast. he also addressed party MPs through an audio conference call ahead of the protest Wednesday and said the BJP leaders and its workers will observe the fast tomorrow to “expose” those handfuls of people who “throttled” democracy by stalling Parliament proceedings.
BJP Delhi MPs on Wednesday issues instructions to its workers ahead of the day-long fast led by PM Modi: don’t be seen eating, don’t click selfies, clear food vendors from the area and don’t fast if you’re diabetic. 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.
Welcome to our LIVE blog. After Congress’ nationwide fast earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will observe a day-long fast today against the washout of Parliament proceedings. Follow to get the latest updates.