Thrifty Banker
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing

Thrifty Banker

World

Modi heads for two days of island meditation as Indian election nears end

by June 4, 2024
June 4, 2024
Modi heads for two days of island meditation as Indian election nears end

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to meditate inside an island shrine for two days to cap weeks of election campaigning – his latest public display of religiosity days after proclaiming he was sent by god.

India’s election is the world’s largest, a mammoth exercise in democracy that has taken place over six weeks. The final day of voting takes place on Saturday and results will be announced three days later.

Modi will visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, a pilgrimage site off India’s southernmost tip, from May 30 to June 1, according to Indian state broadcaster DD News.

The site is where popular Hindu monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda attained enlightenment.

Modi has twice before ended an election campaign with meditation. But he has recently been making increasingly grand displays of piety, to capitalize on Hindu-nationalist sentiment as he eyes a third consecutive five-year term in power.

In an interview last week with local news channel NDTV, Modi said: “I’m convinced that God has sent me for a purpose, and when that purpose is finished, my work will be done.”

“God doesn’t reveal his cards. He just keeps making me do things,” he continued.

India is constitutionally bound to secularism, but since assuming power in 2014 Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have promoted a strident brand of Hindu nationalism that has deepened religious divides.

When he first contested national elections a decade ago, Modi chose India’s spiritual capital Varanasi as his constituency, making the ancient city the perfect backdrop to meld his religious and political ambitions.

At the end of that campaign, Modi visited Pratapgad in the western state of Maharashtra, where the Hindu-led Maratha forces won a historic battle against the Mughal empire army in the 17th century.

Toward the end of the 2019 national elections, which he also won, Modi went to meditate in the revered Kedarnath shrine dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Shiva high in the Himalayas.

In January, just months before campaigning began, Modi consecrated the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a controversial Hindu temple that was built on the site of a destroyed mosque, taking on a role typically reserved for priests.

In a country where about 80% of the population are followers of the polytheistic faith, critics say Modi’s brandishing of Hinduism has led to rising Islamophobia and persecution of the country’s more than 200 million Muslims.

Modi and the BJP have increasingly resorted to overtly Islamophobic language during his recent election speeches. In a controversial speech last month, Modi said that if the opposition wins, they would distribute the country’s wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children,” in apparent reference to the Muslim community.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
China ‘afraid’ of Trump winning re-election, Taiwanese defense expert says
next post
Nigeria plunged into darkness as union workers shut down national grid in minimum wage protest

Related Posts

UK Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs dies age...

April 10, 2024

What rapid intensification means for hurricanes

August 18, 2023

Kylian Mbappé reinstated into PSG’s first-team squad after...

August 14, 2023

Fake plan to attack Australia synagogue fabricated by...

March 10, 2025

Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker suspended...

September 11, 2023

Giant seamount discovered in Guatemala is nearly twice...

December 2, 2023

Gazans start leaving eastern Rafah as Israeli military...

May 6, 2024

Derna valley was once a ‘paradise.’ Now there’s...

September 19, 2023

Iran braces for low elections turnout as calls...

February 28, 2024

What is ‘new denial?’ An alarming wave of...

January 16, 2024

    Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest insights, updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox! Whether it's industry news, expert advice, or inspiring stories, we bring you valuable information that you won't find anywhere else. Stay connected with us!


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Popular

    • 1

      Top 10 Countries for Natural Gas Production (Updated 2024)

      April 6, 2024
    • 2

      Understanding Lithium Mineralogy from an Investment Perspective

      September 12, 2023
    • 3

      US Capital Global Facilitates $50MM Financing to Accelerate Charbone Hydrogen’s North American Expansion

      June 6, 2025
    • 4

      Israel confirms it is arming Hamas rivals in operation opposition calls ‘complete madness’

      June 6, 2025
    • 5

      A GOP operative accused a monastery of voter fraud. Nuns fought back.

      January 3, 2025
    • 6

      Crypto Market Recap: Strategy Eyes US$1B Raise for Bitcoin Push, UK Regulator Reverses ETN Ban

      June 6, 2025
    • 7

      China’s aircraft carriers send message in the open Pacific for the first time – and bigger and more powerful ships are coming

      June 16, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (1,053)
    • Investing (2,079)
    • Politics (2,977)
    • Uncategorized (20)
    • World (3,387)
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: thriftybanker.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 thriftybanker.com | All Rights Reserved