During the “Loktantra Bachao Upvaas and Dharna” that began at 10am and ended at 5pm, the prime minister continued with his routine official work, including inaugurating the 10th edition of Defence Expo at Tiruvidanthai near Chennai. He, however, did not join any of the party programmes.
“They (opposition) killed democracy and we will observe the fast to bring their crime in front of world. I will also hold fast. But I will continue my work,” a BJP statement quoted Modi as saying.
Shah undertook the party’s programme in Dharwad, Karnataka, while the party’s Lok Sabha MPs observed a fast at their respective constituencies. He was joined by the party’s state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa, MPs Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Pralhad Joshi and the party’s state leader, Jagadish Shettar, among others.
Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Ananth Kumar, D V Sadananda Gowda and other BJP workers observed the protest fast in Bengaluru.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with party MPs, MLAs (member of the legislative assembly), MLCs (member of the legislative council) and others sat on a day-long fast across the state.
Fadnavis, along with Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, MP Poonam Mahajan, actor-turned-MP Paresh Rawal and legislator Parag Alvani launched the fast at the party office in Vile Parle.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal started a hunger strike at the government hostel in adjoining Thane along with a large number of supporters and party activists.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda joined the fast in Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi. Other BJP Rajya Sabha MPs joined the protest in various states.
Accusing the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi of promoting “divisive politics” in the name of caste and religion, he said the people of Karnataka will see through their tactics and give them a befitting reply in the upcoming polls.
Meanwhile, the Congress attacked Modi and Shah for observing a “fake fast” and termed it as “PM’s fast of atonement”.
It put out the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders’ schedule for the day mentioning breakfast and lunch timings on Twitter.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “Mr. Prime Minister, best wishes for your fast.”
He attached Modi’s travel schedule in Tamil Nadu, that showed that the prime minister would be having his breakfast on board a IAF BBJ at 6.40am.