Chopper landing. Sunset view. Exclusive first pictures. And a ticking countdown. The Indian media showcased it all.
In a heavily criticised move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a 45-hour meditation exercise at Kanyakumari's Vivekananda Rock Memorial amidst a swarm of cameras, just before the final phase of polling in the 2024 general elections.
Chopper landing. Sunset view. Exclusive first pictures. And a ticking countdown. The Indian media showcased it all.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Kanyakumari바카라s Vivekananda Rock Memorial after wrapping up campaigning on Thursday to embark on a 45-hour meditation exercise. He performed a similar meditation exercise after the 2019 elections in the Kedarnath cave. The media had then extensively covered the visit, highlighting Modi바카라s emphasis on 바카라spiritualism, cultural heritage, and his personal faith바카라.
His inclination to meditate in solitude on the southernmost tip of the mainland of the country might be well-intended, given its calming effects, especially with the end of a long, gruelling campaign in the heat. But civil society and opposition leaders alike, questioned the Election Commission바카라s silence over the Prime Minister바카라s plan to meditate in a public place, which will of course grab media attention, that too, very close to the last phase of polling on June 1 when 57 seats will head for voting. As per the EC바카라s rules, campaigning 48 hours prior to the conclusion of the poll amounts to a violation of the model code of conduct.
A delegation of Congress leaders comprising Randeep Singh Surjewala, Abhishek Singhvi and Naseer Hussain met EC officials and urged the commission to ensure that the PM바카라s meditation exercise is not broadcast/telecast or printed during the silent period of the campaigning in both mainstream media and social media. However, there was no response from the ECI on this matter.
The minute PM Modi reached Kanyakumari, dozens of cameras descended upon the meditation spot and captured him from different angles. See this ANI video below. Several netizens online pointed out how the meditation exercise, which is usually done without interference or disturbance, was covered from 바카라nine camera angles in a 28 second video.바카라
Outlook in its February 2024 issue titled 바카라Omnipresent, Omniscient바카라, looked at the media바카라s undiluted adulation for PM Modi. 바카라Modi is almost always seen alone in photographs바카라meditating in a cave in the Himalayas, feeding cows and peacocks at his residence, on a shikara in Dal Lake, or inaugurating India바카라s longest bridge in Assam,바카라 Snigdhendu Bhattacharya writes.
Not just that. Almost every occasion has a differently-clad Modi, writes Ajay Gudavarthy. 바카라Invasive cameras reminded us that authenticity lay in its demonstrative potential바카라jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai (whatever is seen, sells),바카라 Gudavarthy adds.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders attacked the opposition for 바카라mocking바카라 the prime minister바카라s meditation exercise and claimed that it was 바카라another evidence of INDIA bloc바카라s hatred for Sanatan Dharma.바카라 Outlook has previously reported on how the saffron party equates the Sanatan Dharma to Hinduism and Hindutva, which eventually helps the party gain voter-sympathy in Hindu-dominant states.