Congress in row over 'feast before fast'

New Delhi: A day-long symbolic fast organised by the Congress to promote communal harmony and protest atrocities against dalits has been marred by a slew of controversies. 

As the protest started, an image of Congress leaders, including Ajay Maken, Haroon Yusuf and Arvinder Singh Lovely, tucking into chhole bhaturas in Chandni Chowk started doing the rounds, causing a huge embracement to the party 

BJP leaders like Vijender Gupta and Vijay Goel posted the image on Twitter.Led by party president Rahul Gandhi, the Congress observed a nationwide day-long “fast for harmony” on Monday over several issues, including caste violence, communalism and non-functioning of the Parliament. Mr Gandhi joined the fast outside Rajghat in the national capital.

While sharing the picture, Mr Khurana claimed that Congress leaders were having chhole bhaturas at Chaina Ram sweets in Chandni Chowk.

Delhi BJP leader Harish Khurana alleged that the Congress leaders were eating heartily to prep for their day-long fast.

Mr Khurana said that the photo proves the dual nature of Congress whose leaders were having a feast before sitting on a fast. 

“Wow! Our Congress leaders invited people to join the hungerstrike, but they themselves are relishing ‘chhole bhature’ at a restaurant, clearly befooling (people),” Mr Khurana tweeted.

Taking a jibe at the Congress leaders, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari told this newspaper that the Congress is a “khau” party and its leaders cannot live without eating even for a few hours.

Mr Lovely, reacting to the image shared by Mr Khurana, said: “The photograph was taken before 8 am. This is a symbolic fast from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. It is not an indefinite hungerstrike. This is what is wrong with these (BJP) people. Instead of properly running the country, they concentrate on what we eat.”

Staff at the eatery confirmed that Congress leaders came and ate in the morning between 8 and 9 am. “Few senior Congress leaders came and ate ‘poori sabji’ in the morning,” said a staff at the eatery.

“Delhi Congress top leadership, including Mr Maken, sat at the eatery from 9.35 am to 10.30 am at Chaina Ram Sweets located at Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area. They were sitting in public. Anyone can confirm the timing by going through the CCTV footage of the eatery,” Mr Khurana added.