Chennai: Security agencies are in the works as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Kanyakumari from Thursday and meditate for three days at the Vivekananda rock memorial. Meanwhile, political parties and social media users in the state have slammed the Chief Minister, with TNCC president K Selvaperunthgai calling the move a “political scam”.
CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan said in a statement that although direct or indirect campaigning is not permitted after the end of election campaigning, Modi had visited Kanyakumari just before the seventh and final round of voting in an attempt to circumvent election rules.
They said Modi’s plan was to indirectly campaign for the party through the meditation, to attract widespread media coverage and to generate debate on social media, and they urged the Election Commission of India to not allow the meditation and to ban the event from being broadcast on television.
Selvaperunthgai said Modi would be performing a “meditative drama” when the final phase of voting goes ahead in 57 constituencies for the Lok Sabha on June 1, which he said would be an embarrassment not just for Tamil Nadu but for the entire country.
Banning tourists from visiting the Vivekananda Rock Memorial during the three days when PM Modi will be meditating is a denial of the fundamental rights of people, he said, adding that it was ironic that the memorial was located at the same rock where Swami Vivekananda meditated 131 years ago.
Though Swami Vivekananda advocated communal harmony and defended his religion and opposed those who wanted to destroy other faiths, PM Modi would never have read or accepted his sermons, the Indian National Congress party leader said.
At the local level, the DMK has approached the district commissioner of Kanyakumari to try to thwart Modi’s initiative.
Several social media users criticized PM Modi over the meditation, saying it goes against the Model Code of Conduct. Political parties have also written to the Election Commission of India, urging it to take action and block the meditation programme.
Meanwhile, central security agencies have landed in Kanyakumari to sanitise the place and ensure that the programme goes on smoothly.Before beginning the meditation, PM Modi will reach Kanyakumari by helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram, arriving in a special flight, and visit the temple.
Reportedly, instructions have been given to BJP leaders to ensure that people do not gather at the spot when the Prime Minister meditates, but a grand welcome will be given to him on his arrival.
