Chennai: After campaign ends on 30 May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be headed for Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari to meditate for two days – thereby continuing his tradition of taking a spiritual break after every gruelling Lok Sabha race.
Modi will meditate at the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial – a short boat ride from India’s southernmost tip – for two days, which may be extended, the Kanyakumari police said.
As India’s jumbo elections wind down with the last phase slated on 1 June, 30 May will put a hard stop to the countrywide campaigning. Modi will first fly to Thiruvananthapuram from New Delhi, then to Kanyakumari and reach the memorial in the evening.
The choice of Dhyana Mandapam is not lost on political analysts. This was the place where 19th century philosopher and social reformer Swami Vivekananda meditated for three days and nights and was visited by the vision of an enlightened “Bharat Mata”.
It is also in Tamil Nadu, which has been at the forefront of the BJP’s concerted push for southern states — where the party is historically weak. The Prime Minister has visited Tamil Nadu eight times since January.
Of them, six were before the Lok Sabha polls were announced. From road shows, public meetings to inaugurating projects worth crores in the state, the Prime Minister has come here at least twice a month in 2024.
After a gap of 10 years, the BJP has once again tried to form an alliance under its leadership for the next Lok Sabha. It is contesting in 23 seats while its alliance partner PMK is contesting 10, former Union minister G.K. Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress in three, T.T.V Dhinakaran’s AMMK is fighting two and expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam is running from one. The BJP had not won any seat of the state’s 39 in 2019.
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Meditation starts at 5.45 pm
At the rock memorial, the Prime Minister will first place flower petals at Sri Padaparai Mandapam, a footprint of the goddess seen on the rock. Legend has it that Goddess Parvati meditated here on one foot as she waited for Lord Shiva.
After prayers, Modi will start his meditation at 5.45 pm on 30 May and continue day and night at the same place.
A Kanyakumari officer said Modi was likely to finish his meditation on 1 June around 3 pm. “However, this is not finalised. If he wishes to continue, he will continue,” the cop said.
After the 2019 campaign, Modi had meditated for nearly 17 hours at Kedarnath. He had visited Shivaji’s Pratapgarh in 2014.
A BJP spokesperson said there would not be any roadshows or political activity as Modi would be on a spiritual sojourn. “Like Swami Vivekananda, he will be meditating here. He will visit the state even after the elections. This shows his love for the Tamil people and Tamil land,” the spokesperson said.
However, there may be a quick meeting with BJP state chief K. Annamalai after Modi lands in Kanyakumari to take stock of how the party had fared in the elections.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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