Political Controversy: Congress Files Complaint Against Modi's Kanyakumari Meditation

Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Modi's meditation break in Kanyakumari.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day meditation in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari will overlap with the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday.

The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day meditation retreat from Thursday to Saturday in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari will breach the 48-hour silence period preceding the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha polling.

On Tuesday, Modi's office announced that he will meditate at Kanyakumari's Rock Memorial. This meditation will coincide with the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday. Modi had taken a similar break at the conclusion of the election campaigns in 2014 and 2019.

"After a meeting of a Congress delegation with ECI officials on Wednesday, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated, 'We have no problem if any leader keeps a fast of silence or campaigns, but during the silence period, there should be no campaigning.'"

"The delegation submitted 28 complaints over alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its top leaders including Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath."

Singhvi mentioned that the silence period before the polling will commence on May 30 and extend until June 1. He emphasized that Modi's meditation constitutes a direct violation of the MCC. "You are either campaigning this way or publicizing yourself through news channels and print media," Singhvi remarked.

There was no immediate response from the ECI regarding whether the BJP has sought permission for Modi's meditation during the silence period.

Singhvi noted that the Congress proposed Modi could begin his meditation on Saturday evening. However, if Modi insists on starting it on Thursday evening, Singhvi suggested that the ECI should prohibit all media from reporting about it. "He is a candidate himself in the last phase. About 55 constituencies are going to polls in the last phase. Such publicity should not be allowed," Singhvi stated.

The Congress also lodged a complaint against BJP's "false, misleading, and divisive" posts on X, aiming to promote its narrative regarding an alleged policy of wealth redistribution favoring members of a religious minority. It asserted that doctored videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speech were circulated on May 10 across social media platforms to deceive voters and discourage them from supporting the party.

Jharkhand Congress's X account was blocked, and members of the party in Telangana were arrested over a doctored video of Shah.

Six of the Congress's 28 complaints pertained to Modi's "derogatory" and "communal" remarks in his speeches. The Congress asserted that most of these remarks falsely claimed that the party aims to redistribute wealth among Muslims, derogatorily referred to as "those who do Vote Jihad." It highlighted that Modi's interviews with India Today and Aaj Tak were televised on May 13, the day of polling for the fourth phase, in violation of the MCC and the Representation of People Act (RPA).

In its three complaints against Adityanath, the Congress alleged that he accused the party of historically supporting "terrorism," which violates the MCC, RPA, and the Indian Penal Code. The Congress also submitted two complaints against Shah's speeches.

Furthermore, the Congress stated that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on May 22 urged people "to vote on the basis of religion" while falsely portraying the party as communal. It added that voters in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana received calls from the US urging them to vote for the BJP, which contravenes the MCC and RPA.