PM Modi begins 45-hour meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial; to consume liquid-only diet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly begun his 45-hour-long meditation session at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari. The prime minister reportedly started the meditation on Thursday at around 6:45 pm. 

According to India Today sources, PM Modi will be on a liquid diet and will consume coconut water, grape juice and other fluids. He will also remain in silence and not step out of the meditation hall during the period of meditation. 

PM Modi’s meditation at the memorial’s Dhyan Mandapam comes at the end of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 campaign. Interestingly, the location of the meditation is where Swami Vivekananda had meditated 131 years ago. 

Security at the venue was beefed up ahead of PM Modi’s visit and 2,000 police personnel were placed to stand guard during the day. The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy maintained a tight vigil. 

Before heading to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, the prime minister offered prayers at the Bhagavathi Amman temple. Before his departure on June 1, Modi is likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, which is next to the memorial

On Wednesday, the Congress party alleged that Modi was trying to "circumvent" the silence period restrictions with his meditation trip to Kanniyakumari, and urged the Election Commission to ensure that it is not aired by the media as it violates the model code of conduct. A delegation of Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Abhishek Singhvi and Syed Naseer Hussain met the Election Commission and handed over a memorandum in this regard, as well as 27 other complaints of alleged violation of model code of conduct.

"Through the meditation trip, Narendra Modi is attempting to circumvent the 48-hour silence period and unfairly leverage the ethnocultural significance of the chosen location in an attempt to bolster his campaign and maximise his vote share in violation of the Representation of the People Act, as well as Model Code of Conduct," the party also said. They argued that PM could start his meditation after 24-48 hours, or from the evening of June 1.