RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticizes PM Modi's Kanniyakumari meditation, dubs it a "Photo Shoot"
Patna: Former Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing spiritual activity in Kanniyakumari as mere "photo shoots."
"Modi ji isn't doing any meditation, only photo shoots are happening. Once the photo shoot ends, they will come back," Yadav said.
Prime Minister Modi is currently in Kanniyakumari, engaged in meditation at the Dhyan Mandapam, the very site where revered Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata'. His meditation is slated to continue till today.
Tejashwi Yadav also issued a political appeal, urging people to vote against those seeking to undermine constitutional principles, reservations, and democracy.
"I will tell people to step out of their homes, and those who want to abolish the constitution, reservations, and democracy, those whose actions have increased unemployment, inflation, and poverty, I appeal to my people to vote against them," Yadav said.
Yadav expressed confidence in Bihar's electoral landscape, stating, "We have said it before that Bihar will deliver a surprising result, and we will surpass 300 seats."
Yadav announced his imminent departure for Delhi, citing a pre-scheduled meeting at 3 p.m. today.
"I am heading to Delhi for a meeting scheduled at 3 p.m. today," Yadav announced.
Under the INDIA alliance agreement in Bihar, the RJD is vying for 26 seats, Congress for nine, and the Left parties for the remaining five out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha constituencies.
While, in the NDA, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest on 17 seats, Janata Dal-United (JDU) on 16 seats, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) (Ram Vilas) on 5 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha on one seat each in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Elections in Bihar are contested in all seven phases. With 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, the fourth highest among all States and Union Territories, Bihar holds a crucial position in shaping Indian politics.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, consisting of BJP, JDU ( (Janata Dal-United), and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), secured victory by taking the lead on 39 out of 40 seats. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan, led by RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), INC (Indian National Congress), and RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party), only managed to secure one seat.
Meanwhile, voting is underway in the last 57 parliamentary constituencies across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The seventh phase marks a grand finish to the world's largest polling marathon that began on the 19th of last month and has already covered six phases and 486 Lok Sabha seats.
According to the Election Commission of India, over 10.06 crore electors including approximately 5.24 crore male, 4.82 crore female and 3574 third gender electors are expected to exercise their franchise.
The seven States in which polling is underway include Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies of the Odisha State Legislative Assembly will also take place simultaneously.
A total of 904 candidates are in the fray for the final phase of polling. The prominent candidates in the fray in this phase include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nishikant Dubey, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Congress leaders Manish Tewari, Charanjit Singh Channi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti.