PM Modi, Amit Shah lead BJP MPs nationwide fast against Parliament disruption

Modi observed the fast even as he continued with his official work, including inaugurating the 10th edition of Defence Expo at Thiruvidanthai near Chennai.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad with BJP leaders sit on a day-long fast to protest against the disruption of Parliament by the opposition in Patna on Thursday. PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah along with BJP MPs fasted on Thursday across the country 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 election-bound 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 their 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 Tiwari -- observed fast, which will end at 5 p.m.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu joined them.

Union ministers Smriti Irani and Maneka Gandhi with other BJP leaders during a day-long fast in protest against the disruption of Parliament proceedings by the opposition in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI

Tiwari, also the Delhi BJP President, 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 in Delhi.

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 -- January 31 to February 9 -- recorded 134 per cent productivity in the Lok Sabha and 96 per cent 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 eight per cent.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda along with other BJP leaders holds a day-long fast in protest against the recent stalling of parliament proceedings by the opposition in Varanasi UP on Thursday. PTI