Lok Sabha polls: Chandraswami promises election results before May 16

NEW DELHI: The baroque Ashram of controversial ‘godman’ Chandraswami has sprung to life again. Situated in the verdant surroundings of quiet Qutub Institutional Area of South Delhi, with high fortress-like walls surrounding it, the ashram is humming with activity once again.

Armed with their horoscopes, politicians of all hues have been visiting him, wanting to know their electoral fortunes. It doesn’t matter to them that the man was in the news for all the wrong reasons in the 1990s and the decade after. Known to be the spiritual adviser to late Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, and close to many other powerful people as well, there was a long list of criminal cases against him.

The cases ranged from violation of foreign exchange laws, cheating and fraud. He was also investigated by the Jain Commission that probed Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. His proximity to Congress leaders was not a secret, and he had no qualms about using his connections and self-proclaimed ‘tantrik’ powers to make in-roads into the international circuit, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Saudi Arabian arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

In fact, Natwar Singh wrote in his book 'Walking with Lions -- Tales from a Diplomatic Past' how as deputy high commissioner in UK he introduced a persistent and pushy Chandraswami to then Leader of Opposition Thatcher in 1975 and accurately predicted she would be prime minister.



Having kept a low profile for the past few years, Chandraswami, now 64, is getting his political clientele back, but it is definitely not in the same league as before. Chandraswami told ET that he doesn’t want to name the politicians meeting him. “Everybody comes here. It will be easier for me to tell you the names of people who do not come here. The list of powerful people not meeting me is shorter,” he said.

However, his close aide Sunil rattled off the names of Chandraswami’s ‘followers’ – Captain Satish Sharma (a Gandhi family loyalist), Neeraj Shekhar (late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar’s son and SP candidate from Ballia), BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and RLD supremo Ajit Singh.

Capt Sharma and Neeraj Shekhar confirmed meeting the godman on a regular basis. While Sharma did not elaborate the reason for meeting him, Shekhar said that he was in touch with ‘Swamiji’ because of his father’s close relationship with him.

While not denying meeting the godman, Swamy said that he will talk on the issue only after May 16. Sunil, meanwhile, said that the BJP leader was like family and had been a faithful throughout. Ajit Singh did not respond to a message sent to him. Another purported visitor, Congress spokesman Sandeep Dikshit, who according to Sunil also visits the Ashram, vehemently denied being in touch with him or being counted as a follower. “I met Chandraswami only once in a Chhat programme 4-5 years back. I am an atheist and do not tolerate religious babas or gurus,” he told ET.

With Lok Sabha elections in progress, Chandraswami has seized the opportunity to be a seer and tell politicians what lies ahead for them. For instance, he told one of them that his “golden period” was now starting. When asked about how he foresaw the election results, Chandraswami told ET that it’s early days yet. “Elections have only been held for 91 seats. Let some more important seats go to polls, then I will tell you. I promise I will tell you the results much before the counting on May 16,” he said confidently.

However, while he’s giving a glimpse of what the future holds, he apparently isn’t very confident about his own future, and has been making other astrologers read his horoscope. “He moves around with his own horoscope and that of Adnan Khashoggi, who owes him a lot of money, and makes other astrologers read it,” said a Delhi-based tantric, who too has advised Chandraswami. His aide Sunil confirmed this.

He said that “Swamiji has great faith in astrology, and is sure that he will find a way of getting his money back”. Incidentally, an income tax raid at his ashram in 1996 is reported to have uncovered original drafts of payments to Khashoggi worth $11 million.