Karnataka: Moily doubts whether Modi fasted, BJP criticizes

Bengaluru: A day after the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya, senior Congress leader and former chief minister M Veerappa Moily courted controversy by expressing doubts over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 11-day fast.

The former CM said that a doctor told him that fasting for 11 days was not possible. He claimed that he (the Prime Minister) survived only on coconut water for 11 days. He was roaming all over the country and there was no fatigue on his face. People are questioning whether he was actually fasting or not,” Moily claimed.

The Congress leader said that if the PM had entered the sanctum sanctorum and performed the rituals without fasting, the place would have lost its sanctity.

For 11 days, Modi had followed a disciplined routine, which included sleeping on the floor and living only on coconut water. He ended his fast with the conclusion of the consecration ceremony of the temple on Monday.

BJP hit back at Moily

Hitting out at Moily for his comments, BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya said, “Veerappa Moily, who walks around wearing the mask of a great writer, thinks everyone is a fake like him. He has expressed doubt on PM Narendra Modi’s fast before the consecration of Ayodhya Ram temple. The country knows the truth. If you have faith in Lord Ram then you can fast and survive, not if you are pleasing the Gandhi family.’

Siroya said that despite this effort to appease the family, Moily would not get a Congress ticket to contest from the Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency.