PM Modi begins 45-hr ‘dhyan’ at Kanyakumari’s Vivekananda Rock Memorial

With the conclusion of the campaigning for the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday began his 45-hour-long meditation at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari.

Upon his arrival to the city in the evening, the prime minister first offered prayers at the Bhagavathy Amman Temple before heading to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.

Modi will meditate from the evening of Thursday to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where revered Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda is believed to have had a divine vision about ‘Bharat Mata’.

Security has been beefed up due to Modi’s visit, and 2,000 police personnel stationed during his stay. The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy also are also maintaining a tight vigil.

The beach is also out of bounds for tourists from Thursday to Saturday and private boats are not allowed to ferry, according to PTI.

Modi had taken similar breaks at the end of the election campaign in 2014 when he visited Pratapgarh, where a battle was fought between the Maratha forces led by Shivaji and the Bijapur troops under General Afzal Khan; and in 2019 when he became the first person to meditate in a special cave in Kedarnath.

PM Modi’s visit to the Vivekananda Rock memorial has been opposed by the Congress. The party has alleged Modi was trying to “circumvent” the silence period restrictions with his 48-hour meditation trip in Kanyakumari and has urged the Election Commission to ensure it is not aired by the media as it violates the model code of conduct.It has also filed a formal complaint with the poll body.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, after a meeting of a Congress delegation with ECI officials, Modi’s meditation is a direct violation of the model code of conduct.

“…You are either campaigning this way or publicising yourself through new channels and print media,” Singhvi said.”

Campaigning for final phase of Lok Sabha polls ends

Campaigning for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in 57 seats in seven states and the Union territory of Chandigarh on June 1 ended Thursday evening.

Polling is scheduled in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three seats in Jharkhand besides Chandigarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term from Varanasi.

Since the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule on March 16, Modi notched up a total of 206 public outreach programmes, including rallies and roadshows, PTI reported.

The prime minister surpassed his nearly 145 public engagements on the stump during the 2019 polls by a big margin. The campaign period this time was of 76 days, compared to the 68 days in the polls held five years ago.