K.R. Pet: Kodi Mutt’s Sri Shivananda Shivayogi Rajendra Swamiji has predicted significant changes in Karnataka’s political landscape following Makara Sankranthi.

Speaking to reporters at K.R. Pet after participating in Hariharapura Sri Anjaneyaswamy Rathotsava, he said, “Just as the jasmine atop Shiva’s crown must eventually fall at his feet, the political confusion in the State will settle, bringing a peaceful conclusion. The leadership tussle will be resolved after Sankranthi.”

Swamiji clarified that he was neither a fortune-teller nor an astrologer, but possessed the ability to foresee upcoming developments. He added that even at the national-level, challenges would emerge after Ugadi, including the possibility of unpleasant incidents similar to the recent bomb blasts.

Defending the role of religious leaders in public life, he remarked, “When politicians make politics their profession, why should pontiffs not offer suggestions for the welfare of society?

“First, we must move away from casteism. The caste system is a curse upon civil society. Only when pontiffs break free from caste shackles and stand firmly for building a casteless society will true change be possible,” he noted.

The Swamiji expressed concern that present-day politics has lost its direction, with ideals and values disappearing. He lamented that wealthy real estate lobbies were dominating the political sphere, which he described as a worrying trend for the future of democracy.