The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned two-day meditation retreat in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, from Thursday to Saturday will breach the 48-hour silence period before the final phase of Lok Sabha polling. Modi’s office announced on Tuesday that he will meditate at Kanyakumari’s Rock Memorial, coinciding with the seventh phase of the elections on Saturday. Modi had similar meditation breaks at the end of the 2014 and 2019 election campaigns.
“We have no problem if any leader keeps a fast of silence or campaigns, but during the silence period, there should be no campaigning,” stated Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi after a Congress delegation met with ECI officials on Wednesday.
The delegation submitted 28 complaints of alleged Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders, including Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Singhvi noted that the silence period before the polling starts on May 30 and lasts until June 1, arguing that Modi’s meditation violates the MCC. “…you are either campaigning this way or publicizing yourself through news channels and print media,” Singhvi asserted.
There was no immediate response from the ECI on whether the BJP has sought permission for Modi’s meditation during the silence period.
Singhvi suggested that Modi could begin his meditation on Saturday evening. If Modi insists on starting on Thursday evening, Singhvi proposed that the ECI should prohibit all media coverage of it. “He is a candidate himself in the last phase. About 55 constituencies are going to polls in the last phase. Such publicity should not be allowed,” Singhvi emphasized.
The Congress also accused the BJP of spreading “false, misleading, and divisive” posts on X (formerly Twitter) to push a narrative about wealth redistribution favoring a religious minority. They pointed to doctored videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech circulated on May 10 to mislead voters.
The Congress’s X account in Jharkhand was blocked, and party members in Telangana were arrested over a doctored video involving Shah.
Six of the 28 complaints involved Modi’s “derogatory” and “communal” remarks, accusing him of falsely claiming that Congress seeks to redistribute wealth among Muslims, referred to pejoratively as “those who do Vote Jihad.” They also cited Modi’s interviews with India Today and Aaj Tak aired on May 13, during the fourth phase of polling, as violations of the MCC and the Representation of People Act (RPA).
In three complaints against Adityanath, the Congress alleged that he accused the party of historically supporting “terrorism,” violating the MCC, RPA, and the Indian Penal Code. Two complaints were filed against Shah’s speeches.
The Congress also claimed that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged people on May 22 to vote based on religion while falsely portraying Congress as communal. They added that voters in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana received calls from the US to vote for the BJP, violating the MCC and RPA.