PM Narendra Modi had mentioned that he has been observing fasts during Navratri for 35 years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start his ritual nine-day fast today to mark the Chaitra Navratri - the nine-day festival that is the highlight of spring and is observed through fasts and various rituals. For the next nine days, PM Modi will eat only some fruits in the evening and drink water with lime juice.
The Prime Minister has been keeping the Navratra fast for the last 35 years. This year, there is an extra reason to celebrate -- the party's massive victory in the recently held Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. His government is also on the brink of achieving what has been billed as the biggest tax reform since Independence. The flagship Goods and Services Tax has reached its last stretch - its rollout set for July 1. A senior minister quipped that this Navratri, the Prime Minister's fast will lead the government to pass the GST bill in the current session.
The Prime Minister's first day of fast is expected to be packed.
It would start with a meeting with his close advisors at 9.30 am, after which PM Modi will attend the BJP parliamentary party meeting. After spending the day at his office in parliament, he will chair a meeting with his council of ministers. Besides reviewing ongoing central schemes at the meet, a special presentation will be made on four additional bills of GST, which will be up for vote in parliament on March 29.
On Wednesday, a seven-hour debate over the bills has been scheduled in Lok Sabha.
In a blog post in 2012, PM Modi had mentioned that he has been observing fasts during Navratri for 35 years. In September, 2014, he observed a Kartik Navratri fast while on tour in the United States and the menu at the high tables had to be tweaked for his convenience.
During the Chaitra Navratri, one of the holiest occasions of the Hindus, devotees undertake nine days of fasting, which is believed to help keep the mind and body pure.