Modi, Shah lead BJP’s protest fast over Parliament washout
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah along with BJP MPs across the country fasted on Thursday to protest against the washout of the second half of Parliament’s Budget session for which the BJP blamed on the Congress.
Modi observed the fast even as he continued with his official work, including inaugurating the 10th edition of Defence Expo at Thiruvidanthai near Chennai.
Shah undertook the hunger strike at Dharwad in electionbound Karnataka along with party’s Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa and other MPs.
Shah hit out at the Congress for “disrupting” Parliament, saying it happened for the first in independent India’s history that the ruling party (BJP) was ready to discuss every issue but the opposition was shying away from discussion.
Bharatiya Janata Party MPs observed fast in thier constituencies while Rajya Sabha MPs protested at various places.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was present at the DefExpo, also observed a fast.
In Delhi, all seven BJP MPs -Union minister Harsh Vardhan, who represents Chandani Chowk constituency, East Delhi MP Maheish Girri, New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, West Delhi MP Pravesh Verma, North West Delhi MP Udit Raj, South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri and North East Delhi MP Manoj
NEW DELHI:
Tiwari -- observed a fast. Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu joined them.
Tiwari, also the Delhi BJP chief, said he will continue his “indefinite hunger strike” to protest against the “continuous neglect” of developmental works in his constituency by the Arvind Kejriwal government.
The Budget session started on January 29 and went into a break on February 9. The two houses of Parliament met for the second half of the session on March 5, which concluded on Friday.
While the first half of the session recorded 134% productivity in the Lok Sabha and 96% in the Rajya Sabha, in the second-half, from March 5 to April 6, the Lower House recorded just four per cent productivity and the Upper House 8%.
NO ALTERNATIVE TO MODI: FADNAVIS
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis observed a fast here along with other BJP MPs and MLAs, and hit out at the opposition saying it does not have any alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP leader across the country are sitting on a day-long fast today to corner the opposition over the recent washout of the Budget session of Parliament.
Fadnavis, along with Lok Sabha members Poonam Mahajan (North Central Mumbai) and Paresh Rawal (Gujarat), local MLAs Parag Alavani, Amit Satam and Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar sat on the daylong fast at the party office in suburban Vile Parle.
The chief minister said, “People know contradictions of the opposition parties. They can’t stay together. What is the alternative to Modi in terms of policies, programmes and leadership? The opposition only wants power...(but) they don’t have an alternative to Modi.”
He said the Congress has no moral strength to face Parliament because when the Prime Minister counters it. “They have no face to show.”
He also alleged that most of the atrocities on Dalits took place during the Congress rule.
“The Dalit and tribal entrepreneurship is being encouraged by the Modi government,” he pointed out.
Fadnavis said PM Modi is dedicated to the welfare of the people and the country.