- Monday, February 24, 2025
The Indian PM’s meditation kicked off on May 30 and will continue till June 1, when the final phase of the ongoing national elections will be held.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE first visuals of prime minister Narendra Modi meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari in the southern state of Tamil Nadu came out on Friday (31) that showed him in a trance in front of a statue of the 19th century Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda who had also meditated at the same place in 1892.
It is said that the monk had a vision for developed India while meditating at the site.
Modi’s meditation kicked off on Thursday (30), the final day of campaigning for the general elections that kicked off in April, and will continue till Saturday (1) evening. The seventh and final phase of the elections will be held the same day. The results will be announced on Tuesday (4).
Kanyakumari is the southern tip of mainland India where three sea bodies — Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet. According to leaders of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the choice of the place sends a message of national unity.
Read: India PM in Kanyakumari for 2-day meditation; opposition criticise
The Hindu nationalist party released pictures and a video of the PM meditating at the memorial, which is located some 500 metres from Kanyakumari’s Vavathurai beach.
https://x.com/BJP4India/status/1796453781418467713
https://x.com/BJP4India/status/1796406553370898887
Modi, who was wearing a saffron robe and holding a rudraksh mala, was also seen offering prayers to the sun earlier in the day.
Modi had meditated ahead of the 2019 general elections and on that occasion, he had chosen a cave in the holy Hindu shrine of Kedarnath in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
https://x.com/BJP4India/status/1796404993316299112
Modi is seeking a rare third consecutive term in this year’s election. He has vowed to make India the third largest economy in the world if he comes to power again. The opposition INDIA — Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance — on the other hand, is confident that the anti-incumbency wave would be too strong for Modi and his BJP to beat this time.
Heavy security was deployed in and around Kanyakumari as Modi continued with his meditation. While security personnel were deployed both on ground and water, the memorial, which is otherwise a popular tourism destination, wore a deserted look as tourists were barred from visiting it during the prime minister’s stay.
The opposition such as the Indian National Congress criticised the prime minister’s meditation plan and moved the Election Commission of India alleging that it was violating the poll conduct. The BJP’s allies in Tamil Nadu, however, hit back saying it was not right to criticise the PM for his meditation.
