In a sharp attack on the Congress and INDIA bloc for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu, the BJP on Friday said this reflects the Opposition’s “frustration” and “anti-Sanatan” mindset.

Prime Minister Modi is in Kanniyakumari for a three-day meditation trip, after ending the campaigning for the final phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha Election. He began his trip on Friday by offering ‘arghya’ to the rising Sun at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in the southernmost city of the country.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said,”What has happened to Congress and the INDIA bloc? If the Prime Minister says something, they have a problem. If he goes to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial for meditation without saying anything, even then, they have a problem.”

“These (opposition) people opposed Ram Temple, labelled it as useless and said that there is no relevance of Lord Ram. They used phrases like Hindu terror and said that Sanatan is a disease. Now, these people have a problem with a Hindu meditating peacefully and will issue fatwas?” the BJP national spokesperson said.

Responding to allegations that the meditation violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Poonawalla said PM Modi is not violating the MCC. “The Prime Minister is not campaigning or promoting, he is not saying something, he is not passing any political statements, nor is this a political gathering,” he said.

He said the Opposition claims that meditation violates the MCC and should not be covered by the media. “Today, in the times of social media, everyone has a smartphone and data costs have fallen by 90 per cent. If someone is making a video, will you stop them?” he asked.

Poonawalla highlighted a contrast, noting that when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was contesting elections in Wayanad on April 26, he was campaigning in neighbouring Karnataka and making political statements.

“The silent period turned into violence, and the opposition remained silent,” he said. The Opposition’s stance against PM Modi is increasingly showing signs of being “anti-Sanatan,” he added.

Modi’s 45-hour meditation from Thursday evening at Dhyana Mandapam, the place where Swami Vivekananda, One of the greatest spiritual figures of India, is believed to have had a divine vision about ‘Bharat Mata’ during meditation in 1892.