With his 48-hour meditation trip in Kanyakumari starting today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Congress, is attempting to “circumvent” the silence period restrictions. The Congress urged the Election Commission to make sure the media does not air this trip because it violates the model code of conduct. The ECI received a memorandum from a delegation of Congress leaders, including Syed Naseer Hussain, Abhishek Singhvi, and Randeep Surjewala.The memorandum included 27 additional complaints about alleged model code violations made by the BJP in the past few days. The prime minister’s meditation programme in Kanyakumari’s “Dhyan Mandapam,” according to the Congress, was a “clear violation” of the silence period prior to the June 1 voting in Modi’s other seats, including Varanasi.
The opposition party also claimed that it violated the Model Code of Conduct and the provisions of the 1951 Representation of the People Act. It stated that on May 28, several news agencies reported on Narendra Modi’s trip to Kanyakumari, where he planned to meditate for 48 hours beginning May 30. “The said trip would be widely televised and would therefore be shown during the 48-hour silence period in Varanasi, the constituency from which Shri Narendra Modi is contesting,” the Congress memo to the EC said.
