Shehzad Poonawala BJP
IANS

BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday slammed the INDIA bloc for being "anti-Sanatan" and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

"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," Poonawalla said.

He said this reflects the opposition's "frustration" and "anti-Sanatan" mindset.

"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?" Poonawala said.

PM Modi, meditates at Vivekananda Rock Memorial
IANS

Responding to allegations that the meditation violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Poonawalla said that 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 that 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.

The BJP Spokesperson highlighted a contrast, noting that when 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 BJP Spokesperson concluded that the opposition's stance against PM Modi is increasingly showing signs of being "anti-Sanatan."

(With inputs from IANS)