By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,
Hyderabad : A section of devotees of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba has opposed any move by the government to take over the Sathya Sai Central Trust, saying the government will not be able to carry on the trust’s work in the manner in which it had been functioning.
With the 85-year-old guru battling for life at a hospital run by the trust at Puttaparthi, all eyes are on the powerful trust headed by him.
Stories of mismanagement of funds and the rift among the trustees are doing the rounds since Sai Baba was admitted to the hospital last month with serious health problems.
There are also suggestions from some quarters that the government take over the trust to prevent any misuse of funds. But a section of devotees is opposed to the idea and feel that the central trust should be allowed to run on its own so that it can continue its welfare work in India and abroad.
The trust, which is believed to have thousands of crores in funds, runs hospitals, educational institutions and drinking water supply schemes and undertakes various social service and charitable works in 180 countries.
“I personally feel the government will not be able to continue the stupendous works undertaken by the trust,” Justice (retd) J. Eeswar Prasad, a former judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and a staunch devotee of the Baba, told IANS.
He hoped that a situation will not arise where the government has to take over the trust.
“There are no irregularities in the trust. Men of integrity and highly respectable persons are managing the trust,” he said.
He revealed that former chief justice of India P.N. Bhagwati, who is a trustee, recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him about the trust and its activities.
“There is no scope of any irregularities in the trust and the reports in a section of media are not true,” said Eeswar Prasad.
However, another devotee differed.
“I believe the situation of government taking over the trust will not arise but if such a situation arises, the government can take over the trust,” said V. Appa Rao, a retired police officer. He, however, felt the trust should carry on its activities with respectable personalities.
Appa Rao, who was instrumental in designing security arrangements for Prashanti Nilayam, the abode of Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, said the reports that gold and silver were being transferred were baseless.
“There is no hundi system in Puttaparthi and all donations are taken through cheques,” he said.
Anil Kumar Mulpur, former head of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Baba’s superspeciality hospital in Bangalore, refused to comment on the suggestion that the government take over the trust.
Besides Bhagwati, well-known chartered accountant Indulal Shah, former chief vigilance commissioner S.V. Giri, eminent industrialist Srinivasan, and Sai Baba’s nephew Ratnakar are members of the trust while former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer K. Chakravarthi is the member secretary.