india

Updated: Jun 04, 2019 18:36 IST

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy took a special flight to Visakhapatnam on Tuesday to seek the blessings of spiritual guru Swamy Swaroopanandendra Saraswati for ruling the state without any hurdles, a YSR Congress leader said.

A devout Christian, Jagan sported traditional dhoti and kurta as per Hindu traditions before stepping into the ashram. The chief minister, who presented fruits and other gifts to the seer, sat at his feet as he sought his advice on the composition of the new council of ministers who would be taking oath at Amaravati on June 8, the YSRC leader said.

Ashram authorities refused to make any comment on Jagan’s visit. Soon after his landslide victory in the assembly elections on May 23, Jagan had consulted Swaroopanandendra who had fixed the auspicious time for his swearing-in ceremony at 12.23 pm on May 30.

According to party sources, Jagan got closer to Swaroopanandendra in August 2016 when he had gone to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand where Swamy was performing his “Chaturmasa Deeksha” (four-month penance). By that time, the seer had been in the news for his strong criticism of then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for ordering demolition of certain temples as part of road widening in Vijayawada.

At Rishikesh, Swaroopanandendra made Jagan perform certain pujas, besides offering “pinda pradan” for his father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. Since then, Jagan had been in regular touch with the seer.

Swaroopanandendra’s stock has gone up among politicians recently, particularly in the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Also read: Jagan overhauls CMO, reviews Naidu’s decisions on constructions works

The two consecutive electoral successes – first in Telangana by Telangana Rashtra Samithi in December and next in Andhra Pradesh by YSR Congress party has enhanced the popularity of this pontiff, who heads Sri Sarada Peetham (mutt) at Chinna Mushinivada of Visakhapatnam.

Swaroopanandendra, who claims he belongs lineage to saint Adi Sankaracharya, has now become an unofficial advisor to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in spiritual matters so much so that neither of them takes up any new work without consulting him.

The popularity of Swaroopanandendra shot up when he conducted “Raja Syamala Yagam” (a ritual which used to be performed by kings for victory in wars) at the farmhouse of the Telangana chief minister at Erravelli village of Siddipet district in November seeking divine blessings for the victory of TRS in the assembly elections held in December.

With the TRS registering a massive victory by winning 88 out of 119 assembly seats, KCR’s faith in the seer’s powers went up so much that within 10 days of taking over as the chief minister for a second term, he went all the way to Visakhapatnam to seek Swaroopanandendra’s blessings.

In January, KCR performed a five-day Maha Rudra Sahitha Sahasra Maha Chandi Yagam, at the farmhouse under the auspices the Vizag pontiff.

Apparently inspired by KCR’s victory, YSRC leaders too performed three-day Raja Syamala Yagam in the last week of March at Nellore under the auspices of Swaroopanandendra, seeking divine blessings for the victory of Jagan in the elections. The YSRC went on to achieve a huge victory in the assembly elections winning 151 out of 175 assembly seats.