BJP MP ends hunger strike on Rajnath’s ‘persuasion’.

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) BJP’s East Delhi MP Maheish Girri, who was protesting outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence since Sunday, broke his fast-unto-death on Tuesday on the urging of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Rajnath Singh on Tuesday evening reached the Civil Lines where Girri was sitting on a hunger strike and persuaded him “not to put his life at stake”.

Girri was on fast-unto-death since Sunday after Kejriwal declined to join an open debate over his accusation that the Bharatiya Janata Party MP was involved in the murder of a New Delhi Municipal Council estate officer M.M. Khan.

The Home Minister offered Girri a glass of juice, which he drank to break his two-day fast.

“I challenged Kejriwal for a debate over his accusation. It has been three days but he didn’t turn up. So, its their defeat. I am going to end my hunger strike,” Girri said in presence of Rajnath Singh.

Earlier in the day, Girri performed yoga at the agitation venue to mark the second International Yoga Day here.

“On IDY2016 today, participated in a Yoga Session with all karyakartas, here at the venue of my Anshan,” he tweeted.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, BJP’s Delhi unit President Satish Upadhyay and several other leaders joined the hunger strike led by Girri.

Khan was shot dead in Jamia Nagar here on May 16 — a day before he was expected to pass an order on the terms of the lease of The Connaught, a four-star hotel.

Kejriwal had reiterated his demand for the arrest of Girri and urged Delhi Police to probe the relationship between Girri and hotelier Ramesh Kakkar, who ran The Connaught and is the main accused in the murder of Khan.