Orissa’s Naveen Patnaik has been particularly lucky this year. Or how could a chief minister, who has won two consecutive terms, manage to yet again beat the anti-incumbency?
Some people attribute Naveen’s amazing run this year to a lizard. On May 13, just before general election results were announced, a lizard fell on the chief minister’s head. Patnaik, who was at home at that time, reportedly felt elated. Well, not without reason. For, a house lizard falling on the head is taken as a sign of raja yoga (gain of power).
After the incident, say party insiders, Naveen appeared much confident. For good measure, the Kohinoor Panjika, a respected almanac, re-emphasised the connect between lizards and power.
Last Thursday, a yellow cobra slithered on to the floor of the assembly and disappeared under the chief minister’s chair. There was widespread panic and rumours of a conspiracy. Then there was a 24-hr search within the premises by a 30-member team of forest officials, men from the fire brigade and the snake helpline. The CM’s chair was given special attention. But all the effort was in vain.
The next day, parliamentary affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty said, “The cobra appearing in the month of Shravan is considered a good omen.” Incidentally, the snake is linked to the cult of Shivaites and Lord Shiva (Lord Lingaraj) is the presiding deity of Bhubaneswar. The lone man who called Mohanty’s explanation bogus was veteran communist Gangadhar Rout, but he too acknowledged that Naveen is a lucky man.
On Saturday, a wolf-snake (non-poisonous) appeared near the speaker’s chair. This time, the 30-member force were able to get hold of it.
Apparently, all this indicates that Naveen’s grip on the chief minister’s crown will be tenacious. The president of Puri Jagannath Temple Sevayats, Ramachandra Das Mohapatra, added fuel to the flames, “In Hindu mythology, yellow cobra is a good omen. Naveen has the blessings of God as good omens are being noticed frequently.”
Many such signs have appeared since June 2008, indicating that Naveen is destined to remain in power. He saw a white owl in his garden, another was spotted at the main entrance of the secretariat, all before the election. A honey bee, an auspicious creature, appeared at the main gate of the secretariat.
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