Seer power keeps politicians going

MYSORE: When it comes to politicaljousts, religion is more than a matter of faith. Across the spectrum, fromsecular to saffron, religion and its pontiffs have had a profound influence onpower equations.From Siddaveerappa — the Lingayat strongmanpropelled to power by the Sirigere mutt head Shivakumara Shivacharya swami tofoil another Lingayat leader Gaanji Veerappa — to Deve Gowda’sfamous surge as a Vokkaliga champion and beyond, the hand of God has always beena potent force.Indeed, such was the influence of the senior swami ofthe Sirigere mutt that when the Congress high command spurned his candidate forthe Bharamasagar reserved constituency, he fielded a village postman who foughtand won the seat from senior leader T. Chowdaiah, the party’s officialcandidate.In the late eighties, the Adichunchanagiri seer,Balagangadharanatha swami, led a massive rally in Bangalore against theVenkataswami commission report denying reserved government jobs for Vokkaligas.The rally not only increased the influence of the community in the government,it also signalled the arrival of Deve Gowda as a Vokkaligastrongman.Though religious heads stoutly deny their politicalaffiliations, incidents like these point to their powerful behind-the-scene rolein deciding the contours and fortunes of politics in thestate.Politicians who have stepped out of line have either slippedinto oblivion or have had to appease their religiousgodfathers.Latest is the incident of chief minister Krishnasummoning a meeting of seers of various mutts, particularly of the Lingayatcommunity, and apologising to them for the statement made by the then educationminister H. Vishwanath against them.However, the religious leadersinsist they have no political interests. "When the political atmosphere is sovitiated and the main aim of politicians is to acquire power even by dubiousmeans, why would seers and religious heads, pious men of principles and values,want to enter politics," asks the head of Chitradurga Bruhanmutt, MurugarajendraSharana.Says Channaveera Shivacharya Swami of the influential Harkudmutt of Hyderabad-Karnataka region: "Actually it is the politicians who frequentthe mutts to attract devotees." He points to how politicians on the eve ofnominations made a beeline to the mutt and had photographs of their visitspublished to imply that they had the mutt’s blessings for contesting theelections.Balagangadharanath swami, who is braving criticism andparticipated in Krishna’s padayatra in Mandya on the Cauvery issue lastyear, doesn’t believe seers can affect political destinies even if theywished to. "Do you think that people who are now educated and are hooked tomodern media will easily accept what swamis and mutt chiefs say," asks theseer.However, Chandrashekar swami of Hosmutt in Hubli differs withother seers and says that when criminal, anti-social and corrupt elements areshining in politics, it is time religious heads stepped in to stem the rot. "Oneshould advise the people not to encourage bad politicians and if it fails towork, there nothing wrong in seers contesting and winning an election." Afterall, swamis are also part of society.The outcome, courtesy gurus,page 8 Shivakumara swami of Siddaganga mutt (Tumkur): Most influential amongLingayats for the last 60 years. Mutt known for its social service. Many of thepresent day politicians from old Mysore region directly or indirectly owe theirgrowth to this mutt.Balagangadharanath swami of Adichunchanagirimutt (near Channarayapatna): Heading the mutt for the last 30 years. Consideredto be the most influential seer of Vokkaliga community. Shivarathri DesikendraSwami of Suttur mutt (Mysore): After his appointment in the late ’80s, hewas instrumental in starting educational institutions on a largescale.Murugarajendra Sharana of Bruhanmutt (Chitradurga): Termed themost revolutionary of the present-day Lingayat seers. In a decade, he hasconverted the mutt into a centre of progressive activities. Shivamurthy swami ofSirigere mutt (Chitradurga): Holding sway over the Lingayat Sadar sub-sect forthe last 30 years. Rarely politicians dare to challenge the swami’sopinion on social issues. Siddalinga Tontaradhya swami of Dambal mutt (Gadag):Though has a vast influence and control over the masses, rarely speaks out hismind. But mutt’s influence on the masses in North Karnataka region isunchallenged.