New Delhi: The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has appointed Namdev Tyagi – aka Computer Baba – as the chairman of the Ma Narmada, Ma Kshipra evam Ma Mandakini River Trust.

The same Hindu seer was granted minister of state status by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government in MP, led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In April 2018, Computer Baba cancelled a planned stir around Narmada conservation after he was granted MoS status. However, he resigned months later and even campaigned against the BJP in the run-up to the state assembly elections.

In a March 8 order – just days before the Model Code of Conduct kicked in – the Kamal Nath government announced Computer Baba’s trust chairmanship. The order does not mention what status or perks he will enjoy with this position, Indian Express reported.

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“The state government has appointed Namdev Das Tyagi aka Computer Baba, resident of Gommat Giri Ashram, Indore, as chairman of ‘Ma Narmada, Ma Kshipra and Ma Mandakini Nadi Nyas (River Trust)’ till further orders. The appointment will be effective with immediate effect,” Times of India quoted the order as saying.

“The model code of conduct was to kick in. The rest (facilities and status) will be done later. They have done a clever thing by making the appointment (in the nick of time),” Computer Baba told Indian Express.

He said that his priority will be to stop illegal sand mining around the Narmada. “I quit because the previous government did nothing to stop illegal mining. The new government has entrusted me to stop the illegal practice so I have accepted it.”

Last year, the Congress had strongly opposed the BJP government’s decision to grant Computer Baba and other Hindu spiritual leaders MoS status.