Maharashtra was almost the second home to Sathya Sai Baba, as prominent politicians often invited him to visit their home to seek divine blessings. The list of his devotees across the political spectrum from Maharashtra is a long one.
The godman’s association with state politicos goes back to the days of former chief minister and union minister for home Shankarrao Chavan, who had accepted Baba as his spiritual guru. In 2009, when his son Ashok Chavan became the chief minister he had invited the godman to his official bungalow, Varsha.
Clad in a saffron robe, the godman seated in the wheel chair, spent several hours at Varsha where a special puja was performed. His associates wheeled him around every room in the sprawling bungalow which he blessed. The photos of a smiling Baba adorned the walls of the chief minister’s office in Varsha. But they have disappeared after current chief minister Prithviraj Chavan took over the residence. Union minister for rural development Vilasrao Deshmukh is another devotee.
Amongst the most ardent devotees of the godman is former Lok Sabha speaker and Union minister Shivraj Patil. The senior Congress leader was drawn to the godman for his services in the field of humanity and education. Whether it was his official residence at Delhi or his home in the non-descript Chakur in Latur district, there is an overwhelming presence of the godman in the form of images.
A former cabinet minister, on condition of anonymity, said, “ Frankly speaking, I have never believed in miracles and godmen. But what attracted me towards Sai Baba was the work undertaken at Puttaparthi through his trust over the years.”
Whether it was the famous water project in mid-1990s inaugurated by the late prime minister PV Narasimha Rao or several the educational institutions, they all are world class, he added. Another politician, who is an atheist, said, “If the hospital run by the Sai Baba trust offers medical treatment for Re1 to the poor it is a miracle. Can we imagine heart surgery for Re1? Especially in this age, which is inclined to commercialisation?”
Even the high profile minister for heavy industries, Praful Patel has always revered the godman. When Baba visited Mumbai two years ago, there was a long list of politicians clamouring to invite him to their residence. The state rural development minister Jayant Patil had even hosted evening tea in his honour at Royal Stone bungalow in Pedder Road.
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