Bhopal: In a bizarre development, unheard of in election history of India, veteran leader Digvijay Singh of Congress and political greenhorn Sadhvi Pragya of BJP on Tuesday took recourse to ‘yagna’ to settle their poll rivalry, thus giving a new dimension to the battle for Bhopal.
Flanked by his wife Amr-ita, Mr Singh, uncharacteristically, performed “hot yagna” (rituals performed in hot and humid conditions) in the sprawling Soph-ia College ground in Bhopal with mercury touching 41 degree Celsius to vanquish his rival. Religious fervor marked the occasion with around a dozen seers lead by
self-styled god man Namdas Tyagi, who loves to call himself Computer Baba, performing ‘yagna’ separately each being surrounded by a circle of burning cow dung in the ground even as the Singh couple went ahead with their ‘yagna’.
The event was also marked by chanting of mantras by hundreds of religious leaders who gathered on the occasion.
Computer Baba, who was among five seers who were accorded minister of state (MoS) status by the previous Shivraj Singh government, has earlier declared that he would organize “hot yagna” to vanquish Mr Singh’s rival and ensure his victory in the elections.
Earlier in the day, the sages held a road show in support of Mr Singh’s candidature before converging in the open ground to participate in the ‘hot yagna’. Interestingly, BJP’s nominee for Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur aka Sadhvi
Pragya also performed a ‘yagna’ on Tuesday. Several seers participated in her yagna.
Giving a new twist to the development, BJP on Tuesday evening released a press release in which eminent seer Avdeshpuri Ji Ma-haraj was quoted as describing the ‘hot yagna’ organised by Computer Baba to ensure Mr Singh’s victory in the elections as “meaningless and a mere show piece”. “Paramhans Dr Avdeshp-uri Ji Maharaj, chairman Simastha Coordination
Committee and ex-general secretary of Ujjain Akhara Parishad, says the event is nothing but a show piece and it will not yield any benefit to Mr Singh.
He said it is unfortunate that Mr Singh is misusing the seers and saints by misleading them”, the BJP press release said. Bhopal is going to Lok Sabha polls on May 12.
