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Deve Gowda banks on 'divine destiny'

George Iype in Kochi

On the eve of the crucial Lok Sabha elections, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has received a divine message: he might be selected as the next Indian prime minister in October 1999.

As he fights for the right to lead the Janata Dal that is fast disappearing, Deve Gowda rushes often to Kerala, hopping across temples to offer special poojas to accomplish what his associates say 'the divine destiny' of him becoming the prime minister for the second time.

Thus while an exclusive 51-day floral dedication is taking place for Deve Gowda in Chottanikkara Bhagawathi temple in Kochi, a similar daily special pooja is on at the Lord Krishna temple in Guruvayur. In both these places of worship, the former premier's consecration is 'to destroy the enemies' and 'to protect him from political conspirators'.

"I am a religious person. But it pains me when political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party try to split national and regional parties to somehow come back to power," Deve Gowda told rediff.com during one of his brief religious trips earlier this week.

"The Janata Dal is one of the victims of this politics of opportunism. But I have the inner conviction that my party will grow and become a decisive force before the elections. Therefore, I spare lots of time for prayers along with politics," he stated.

While Deve Gowda refused to comment on whether he would become a potential prime ministerial candidate if the Lok Sabha polls result in a hung Parliament, he said anything is possible in politics. "When I became the prime minister in 1996, it was a surprise for many. But it will not be a surprise if I come back a second time," he added with a predictive air.

The 'humble farmer', therefore, believes that the religious mission is a potential weapon to destroy his political enemies who are, he felt, virtual stumbling blocks on his desire to become the next prime minister of India.

According to a close associate of Deve Gowda, the former premier, his wife and family are 'a deeply religious lot'. They are convinced that his second coming to lead the nation can happen only through special pooja and homam, he said.

Last month, Deve Gowda consulted at least a dozen Hindu priests in Bangalore on his political future. The priests advised him that a 51-day dedication ceremony should be held in select temples across Kerala and Karnataka till the election campaigning reaches a feverish pitch. The avowed mission of such a ceremony is to ensure that Deve Gowda emerges the national choice as the 17th prime minister of India.

One priest from Mysore had predicted that the Janata Dal would split and show signs of disintegration in July giving Deve Gowda the right to lead the party. Therefore, the sixth split in JD did not surprise Deve Gowda. "He in fact was preparing for the split. His priests have told him that the JD has been cleansed of evils and therefore he can now lead the party to victory," Deve Gowda's associate said.

Deve Gowda's Janata Dal followers in Kerala and Karnataka say their leader is charting out a politically correct course. By keeping equi-distance from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party and by aligning with regional parties like Sharad Pawar's Nationalistic Congress Party in Maharashtra, the Tamil Manila Congress in Tamil Nadu, they foresee the emergence of a third force under the leadership of Deve Gowda.

According to Deve Gowda's close friend and follower Raman Kartha, the former prime minister's commitment, devotion and faith will ensure that the Janata Dal would once again become a national force to reckon with. "People like J H Patel and Sharad Yadav who split the party were opportunists. But now they are communalists because of their decision to align with a party like the BJP," Kartha told rediff.com.

Ever since the Congress ousted him as prime minister in March 1997, Deve Gowda has been in political wilderness. But now that he is leading a truncated Janata Dal, many believe only gods will help him become the prime minister again.

However, Deve Gowda is going strictly by his divine vision. He launches the Janata Dal's election campaign in Bangalore today after conducting a special pooja at the Rajarajeshwari temple in the city.

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