We are aware of the fact that India is presently witnessing one of the most significant moments in its electoral history- the 17th Lok Sabha elections. The Lok Sabha elections had been divided into seven distinct phases and the last and the final phase began on May 19, 2019. The results of the Lok Sabha polls are due on May 23rd, 2019. The election season has been at the centre of controversy over the role of the Election Commission, the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct, eruption of electoral violence, debates surrounding installation of VVPATs and better accountability for voters etc.
The latest controversy however surrounds the recent decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Kedarnath and spend a significant amount of his stay meditating in a cave. On May 19th the PM visited the Hindu pilgrimage site of Kedarnath, Uttarakhand and offered his prayers at the Kedarnath temple after having spent the previous day meditating at a cave in Kedarnath. He also met the ordinary pilgrims who were visiting the temple.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Kedarnath temple coincides with the last and the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which are to be out by next week. The PM took off time to thank the Election Commission of India for allowing him to visit the pilgrimage site, though it did remind him of the fact that the Model Code of Conduct which lists out dos and don’ts during the election season is still in force.
What must be acknowledged is that the EC has given a clean chit to the PM in six other incidences of violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The photographs of Prime Minister Modi meditating in the Himalayan background were widely circulated on social media. The cave that PM Modi chose to do his meditation is a man-made and fully-furnished modernised haven maintained by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and is known as the Rudra cave. The Rudra cave may also be booked online for Rs 900/ day and includes all facilities such as dining, drinking water, electricity etc.
The Opposition parties did not seem pleased with the PM’s visit to Kedarnath and the fact that it was widely broadcasted on television news channels. Communist Party of India (M) leaders along with the Trinamool Congress made a complaint to the Election Commission about the matter. The complaint filed by the EC was regarding the widely televised visit of the PM to the Kedarnath temple especially at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was still active. Opposition parties alleged that it had been unethical and morally incorrect.
