Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday to embark on a 45-hour long meditation session at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here.
The PM arrived from nearby Thiruvananthapuram and he is scheduled to offer worship at the Bhagavathi Amman temple and later reach Vivekananda Rock Memorial and perform meditation for nearly two days.
Ahead of his departure on June 1, Modi is likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, next to the memorial. Both the memorial and statue were built on tiny islets, that are separate and mound-like rocky formations in the sea.
All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Modi’s 45-hour stay at the famed, mid-sea memorial, named after the revered Hindu saint.
Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, here following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign later today, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders had said. The PM had undertaken a similar exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll campaign.
Modi will meditate from the evening of Thursday to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda — a spiritual icon admired by Modi — is believed to have had a divine vision about Bharat Mata.
Security has been beefed up ahead of Modi’s visit and 2000 police personnel will stand guard during his stay, even as the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy would also maintain tight vigil.
Mr. Modi had undertaken a similar exercise in a Kedarnath cave, after the 2019 poll campaign. Dressed in a grey traditional pahari attire, PM Modi offered prayers for about 30 minutes and undertook a circumambulation of the Kedarnath shrine situated at the height of 11,755 feet near the Mandakini river.
The Prime Minister then went inside a cave near the shrine. Draped in a saffron shawl, PM Modi was seen meditating at the holy cave.
In 2014 as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP. At the end of the campaign, he visited Pratapgarh in Maharashtra, where the Shivaji-led Maratha forces won a historic battle against the Mughal Empire in the 17th century.
Does the meditation violate MCC?
While legal experts argue that PM Modi’s meditation camp does “not violate” the silence period, which comes into effect 48 hours before voting for the last phase of Lok Sabha polls, Opposition parties are opposing it saying that this will be a “violation” of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Voting for the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha election will be held on May 1. Polling in the last phase will be held on 57 seats in 8 States and UTs.
Another legal expert said, “So long as one does not talk about the locality where the election is happening, there is no bar.” “If there are no spoken words, as reported, there seems to be no violation. Similar permission was given by the Commission to the PM during the 2019 Lok Sabha when the election was scheduled in Varanasi during the last phase,” he stated.
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