Soothsayers set the national agenda

Westerners make fun of India as a land of snake charmers and sadhus. They will laugh up their sleeve if they see our politicians dancing to the tune of fortune-tellers.

The way most netas allow astrologers and godmen to set their personal and political agenda gives the impression that they don’t have any trust in their own capacity to deliver goods. Whether it be choosing the right candidates for the election, the time to cast vote, the time to swear in the ministry or taking important decisions, the last word is that of the astrologer.

Politicians in Karnataka are second to none in their belief in astrology and superstitions. A string of astrologers, palmists, numerologists and occultists thrive in Karnataka under the patronage of politicians. It is the astrologers who decide what the netas should wear, where to stay. On astrological advice, B S Yeddyurappa is reported to have kept a silver Gandaberunda, an Indian mythological bird believed to possess great strength, in his pocket as he signed the papers to take charge as the first BJP Chief Minister of the South. After taking over as CM, he went not to the CM’s official residence, but to his private residence which is rated as `lucky’ by his astrologers.

Interestingly, even bitter political rivals go by the advice of the same astrologers. H D Kumaraswami might have back-stabbed Yeddurappa, warranting mid-term elections in the state.

But both Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa are guided by the same astrologer. This astrologer had advised Kumaraswamy to wear a panche and a white half-sleeved shirt when he was sworn in as chief minister on February 4, 2006. The same astrologer advised Yeddyurappa to wear a white-colored silk dhoti when he took oath and he followed the former’s advice to the last detail. But, whatever may be the colour of their dress, both lost power before the term of their government ended.

When the netas rely on more than one astrologer, it could land them in trouble as Yeddurappa realized to his discomfiture. One astrologer fixed the time for the swearing in at 12.49pm while another set it at 1.49pm. The first astrologer had said any time after 12.49 would make the government unstable. To resolve the dilemma, Yeddurappa’s men consulted a third astrologer who endorsed the second timing and Yeddyurappa took oath at 1.49pm.

There was a conflict of astrological views on the CM’s dress code also. While one advised him to wear a panche, another wanted him to wear a normal dress. One of Yeddurappa’s favourite astrologers had even the audacity to tell that since he violated his advice on the timing and dress code, the longevity of his government was doubtful. But thankfully, this astrologer had divine remedies up his sleeve to correct the `mistakes’ and save Yeddyurappa's government.

Sometimes, netas finetune their electoral strategy by exploiting the superstitious beliefs of their rivals. The family of Deve Gowda is known to believe that the Gowda clan cannot win against a woman opponent. Their belief strengthened after Deve Gowda himself lost to a woman candidate of the Congress in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. To psychologically weaken the Gowdas, the Congress put up women candidates against both Kumaraswamy and his brother H D Revanna in the recent Assembly elections in Karnataka. But, for once, the belief was proved wrong as both the Gowdas romped home.

Astrologers have even got the names and spellings of the names of netas changed to propitiate the goddess of luck. In his quest to become CM, Yedddyurappa replaced an `I’ with a `D’ in his name (Yediyurappa became Yeddyurappa).

Before him, former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha added an `a’ to her name, to spell it as `Jayalalithaa’. Jayalalithaa’s belief in astrology was such that she is reported to have waited for the moon to move out of the inauspicious Eighth House before she handed over her letter of withdrawal of support to the 13-month old Vajpayee government in 1998.

Besides Deve Gowda, many other former prime ministers of the country courted astrologers.

Though Jawaharlal Nehru ridiculed astrologers, her daughter Indira Gandhi and son Rajiv Gandhi patronized astrologers and holy men and turned to them for guidance and heavenly help in times of crisis. Godmen like Dheerendra Brahmachari and Chadraswamy wielded considerable political clout during Indira Gandhi’s time.

The stranglehold of soothsayers over some of the ruling politicians of the day is such that people tend to ask: Is the fate of the state decided by the elected representatives or their celestial guides.