New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to mark the end of a hectic Lok Sabha election campaign by meditating for two days at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. He has chosen Kanyakumari’s iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial to undertake his spiritual reflections from 30 May to 1 June, after the final phase of polling.
Swami Vivekananda, a spiritual figure Modi greatly admires, is believed to have had a divine vision of Bharat Mata and a developed India at the Rock Memorial’s Dhyana Mandapam. That Modi has chosen this spot for his meditation this year is no fluke.
Inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s vision, the PM Modi-led government incorporated the idea of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) in its vision document, which became the key theme of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election campaign for the 2024 polls.
But even beyond this, the choice of the meditation spot in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu carries political meaning.
Earlier this week, for instance, Prime Minister Modi strategically invoked Vivekananda to bolster his Hindu constituency in Bengal. He has also consistently criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly neglecting Vivekananda’s legacy to appease her Muslim constituency in recent weeks.
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of the biography Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times, said that the PM is sending a wider message to voters too.
“The Prime Minister uses symbolism for his electoral benefit. Vivekananda is not only revered in Bengal, but across India as a Hindu cultural icon. By meditating at the Vivekananda memorial, Modi wants to consolidate his Hindu majoritarian vote bank,” Mukhopadhyay said. “For today’s young generation, Swami may not hold much significance, but Hindutva does.”
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Modi, Bengal & Vivekananda
The Prime Minister’s visit to West Bengal earlier this week came just ahead of the polling due to take place Saturday in Kolkata and South 24 Parganas. Winning these seats is crucial for the BJP’s target of securing 30 out of West Bengal’s 42 seats.
During his visit, Modi offered prayers at Sri Sri Sarada Mayer Bari, a temple built in commemoration of Sarada Devi, a revered 19th-century Bengali spiritual figure, who played an important role in the Ramakrishna movement founded by Vivekananda. He is said to have sought Sarada Devi’s blessing before attending the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Modi’s roadshow in Kolkata Tuesday ended at Vivekananda’s ancestral home as supporters chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram”.
Throughout his visit, Modi invoked Vivekananda’s legacy— a loud and clear message in the wake of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks about a section of monks of the Ramakrishna Mission and other socio-religious organisations “working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi”.
Previously, too, the PM has taken potshots at Mamata for “insulting” Vivekananda by accusing Ramakrishna Mission monks of BJP of working in the BJP’s interests. Modi had claimed that Banerjee had done so to please the Trinamool Congress’s “Muslim vote bank”.
In an interview to ABP News, Modi said Tuesday that the Ramakrishna Mission held a special place in his life and that Vivekananda’s teachings had deeply inspired him during the early stages of his life.
“Bengal has played a crucial role in shaping my life. When I left home, I didn’t have anything on my mind, except Bengal, Ramkrishna Mission, and Vivekananda ji. Swami Asmathananda ji maharaj was my guide, who helped me. This was the entry point of my new life. The best part was he didn’t care if I was a PM or CM. He would call me Narendra,” PM Modi recalled.
“Swami Vivekananda was one of the most articulate modern India swamis, who had a vision for India. His roots were in Bengal, but he is still revered across the country,” a central BJP leader said. “But the insult to him by Mamata Banerjee has become an issue for Hindu worshippers in Bengal. One leader is working day and night to fulfill Vivekananda’s dream of a developed India. TMC, on the other hand, has not just abused Modi, but did not leave even Vivekananda.”
Of the nine seats in West Bengal that go to polls on 1 June, BJP could not win any in the last elections. But, with the references to Vivekananda, the party hopes to galvanise the Hindu voters in these constituencies in its favour.
In 2019, the BJP secured the second position in two seats — Dum Dum, where it garnered 38.1 percent of the votes compared to TMC’s 42.5 percent, and Barasat, where TMC received 46.5 percent of the votes and the BJP 38.6 percent. TMC has fielded its sitting MPs Sougata Roy and Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from these constituencies again.
The BJP had also lost Kolkata Uttar, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Joynagar, and Mathurapur to TMC, securing the second position.
PM’s Viksit Bharat pitch
Aside from West Bengal, Modi’s meditation plan is also seen as a message to the Hindu community in other states about his status as not just a political leader, but a spiritual one.
“PM Modi is independent India’s first philosopher, a Raj Rishi who is undertaking a spiritual quest in the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda,” said BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan, grandson of ‘Rajaji’ C. Rajagopalachari.
Kesaavan also drew parallels between Modi and Vivekananda.
“During his travels across Bharat, Swami Vivekananda saw our country’s poverty, ignorance, and utter loss of self-confidence under the rule of foreigners and the British. Indians had forgotten their own identity, individuality, and dharma,” Kesavan said. “He travelled across Bharat, and finally came to Kanyakumari seeking a spiritual answer to stir our countrymen from this stupor and unlock their potential.”
Kesavan added that the PM, in the last 10 years, had worked towards the country’s civilisational and “dharmic renewal and resurgence”.
About Modi’s Kanyakumari trip, he said it was “most befitting” that the PM is seeking inspiration from the same spot where Vivekananda found enlightenment.
“This will give him the spiritual strength and blessings of our people, as he gets ready to begin his third term, to lay the foundation for a Viksit Bharat marked by Bharat’s civilisational renaissance,” Kesavan said.
Author and biographer Hindol Sengupta, who has also written about Modi, told ThePrint that the PM views nation-building as deeply intertwined with spiritual elements.
“Modi sees his work for uplifting India as not solely through better infrastructure and greater welfare, but also through a certain evolution of the Indian self towards a higher purpose. In this process, Modi undergoes a transformation from politician to a guru,” Sengupta said. “This meditation break can be compared to Mahatma Gandhi’s time at ashrams and spinning the charkha.”
In the last 10 years, Prime Minister Modi has referred to the philosophy of Vivekananda on several occasions. He has often claimed to have incorporated elements from Vivekananda’s ideas on spiritual nationalism, among others, into many government campaigns and programmes, such as the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat scheme.
While addressing Vivekananda’s birth anniversary celebrations in 2023, Modi had said: “Our govt philosophy is inspired by Vivekananda today. You can see his vision in our flagship schemes.”
A senior BJP leader said that the PM starting his campaign from Tamil Nadu and then capping it off with a spiritual sojourn is a multi-layered message.
“This has its own significance for political reasons, but the political animosity that was brewing in the last few months will take a back seat,” the leader said. “Using Vivekananda’s philosophy, he wants to send out a message about his resolve for building Viksit Bharat to his electorate in the last leg of polls.”
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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