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Congress hits back at BJP, announces nation-wide fast of its own on April 9

A few hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a fast by BJP MPs on April 12 to protest the…

Congress hits back at BJP, announces nation-wide fast of its own on April 9

Representational Image (Photo: AFP/File)

A few hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a fast by BJP MPs on April 12 to protest the impasse in Parliament for which he blamed the opposition party, Congress on Friday also announced that its workers would hold a day-long fast in all state and district headquarters on April 9 to expose the BJP’s “lies” on various issues.

The Congress has claimed that it was the government that was responsible for not letting Parliament function and termed as a “gimmick” and “drama” the move by NDA MPs to forgo their salary for 23 days when Parliament did not function.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and party’s senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said their party MPs had met the Rajya Sabha chairman, requesting him that the House should not be prorogued so that it can be reconvened for two more weeks to discuss issues of national importance as they could not be taken up due to disruptions.

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Sharma said party chief Rahul Gandhi has announced a plan to hold a fast in all district headquarters to help promote peace, brotherhood and harmony in the country.

He alleged that the BJP and RSS were spreading hatred in society through their “divisive” agenda. The Congress “will expose it” and their chief Rahul Gandhi has appealed to the public to maintain peace and harmony in society, he said.

The party released a statement saying, “Peace and harmony has been embodied in the soul of this country and the responsibility to uphold it lies with the Congress. Clearly BJP ruled Centre and state governments didn’t initiate any steps to curb the violence neither to protect the fraternity, therfore it becomes even more important for the Congress to lead the nation in tough time.”

Earlier in the day, it was announced that ruling BJP MPs will sit on day-long fasts in their respective constituencies on April 12 to protest the washout of the second half of the budget session.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said it was for the first time that MPs of any party have foregone their salaries along with allowances because the two houses did not function.

“It is for the first time that both salaries and allowance have been foregone… but this is not the first time that Parliament has been disrupted… we have tried to raise the moral standard,” he said.

The National Democratic Alliance MPs had announced they would forego salaries for 23 days due to the washout of the second half of the budget session due to opposition protests.

The Budget Session of Parliament started on January 29 and concluded on Thursday. IN-between there was recess from February 9 till March 5.

(With agencies inputs)

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