"Opposition against Hindu practices:" BJP's Poonawalla slams Congress-INDIA bloc on Modi's Kanyakumari meditation

Chandigarh: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla voiced sharp criticism against the Congress and the INDIA bloc on Friday, accusing them of opposing Hindu practices in their efforts to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ongoing meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari.
"Today, it is evident that in opposing Modi, a new dimension of opposition to Sanatan Dharma has emerged, where they (Congress-INDI alliance) don't even want a Sanatani Hindu to meditate or practice austerity," Poonawalla said.
Poonawalla questioned the basis of the opposition's claims, stating, "What has happened to the Congress party or the INDI alliance? If the Prime Minister says something, they have a problem. Now, if the Prime Minister goes to Kanyakumari and meditates at the Vivekananda Rock, they still have a problem. It seems that the Prime Minister's meditation is causing them complete frustration."
Poonawalla drew parallels to past controversies, alleging that the same groups that opposed the Ram Temple and labelled Hindu practices derogatively are now objecting to the Prime Minister's spiritual activities.
"The same people who opposed the Ram Temple called it worthless, conspired to delay and obstruct it, said Ram Ji does not exist, talked about Hindu terror, and called Sanatan a disease, now want that no Hindu or Sanatani should meditate, practice austerity, or perform sadhana," Poonawalla said.
Refuting claims of a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Poonawalla emphasized that PM Modi's visit is purely spiritual. "The Prime Minister is not campaigning, not giving any speeches, not addressing anyone, not making any political statements, nor is this a political event," he asserted.
Poonawalla also pointed out the perceived double standards of the Congress which had claimed that PM Modi's meditation was against the model code of conduct.
"When Rahul Gandhi was contesting the election in Wayanad on April 26, he was campaigning in neighbouring Karnataka, giving political speeches, and the opposition did not say anything. Now they see a violation of the MCC," Poonawalla said.
"They say the media should not cover this. But today, in the age of social media, everyone has a smartphone, and data costs have decreased by 90 per cent. Anyone can make a video, so will you ban that too?" he added.
Prime Minister Modi is in Kanniyakumari on a spiritual visit. He is meditating at the Dhyan Mandapam, the place where revered Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata'. He will continue his meditation till June 1.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday offered prayers at Bhagavathy Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, after the culmination of the Lok Sabha election campaign.
The Prime Minister is known to undertake spiritual journeys at the end of election campaigns. In line with this, he will reach Kanyakumari on May 30 and stay there till June 1. In 2019, he visited Kedarnath, and in 2014, he visited Shivaji's Pratapgarh.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats is being held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.