Karnataka CM asked to sleep in the nude

Bangalore: What happens if you mix politics with some black magic? You get a chief minister going buff in the middle of the night, or so it seems. If sources close to chief minister B S Yeddyurappa are to be believed, he will be sleeping naked on the floor for three nights, starting yesterday. The reason: He is trying to ward off the effects of black magic and sorcery "done against him by his detractors". And it doesn't end there. The CM has even decided to bare all for surya namaskar in a river next week.

The CM came on record yesterday, saying that his political enemies were indulging in sorcery to finish him off. "I am scared. They are conspiring to kill me through black magic. I can't move around freely. The situation is such that I sometimes wonder if I will reach home from Vidhana Soudha."

Bhanuprakash Sharma, the CM's family priest, said he has advised Yeddyurappa to perform certain rituals to ward off evil. "I have advised him to perform the sahasra chandika yajna at Chamundeswary Temple in Mysore and laksha modaka Ganapathi homa (offering 1 lakh modaks to Ganesha)," he said.

"Unlike in the past, and given the current situation, I told him to restrict his visits within the state," said Sharma. "Earlier, he would go to Tamil Nadu or Kerala."

The rituals

Among the rituals suggested by priests is the CM sleeping naked on the floor for two nights before the amaavasya, which falls on February 2. Yeddyurappa left for his home constituency Shikaripuara, yesterday, to perform the last rites of one of his relatives.

Sources said that some rituals have been arranged there too. Another ritual that he is going to perform is 12 surya namaskars in a river -- completely in the nude. He is scheduled to do this any time between February 8 and 10.

"His zodiac sign is Scorpio. Rahu will enter this sign shortly, which could mean that his enemies might harm him. Such dasha brings insult and shame. To overcome this, naked surya namaskara is performed," said Sharma.

Flashback

Yeddyurappa had visited Bhadrakaali temple in Kerala to perform the Shatrusamhara ritual, which involves sacrificing a donkey to subdue one's enemies. This was after 11 BJP MLAs and five independents withdrew support from his government.

Siddaramiah, leader of the Opposition in the assembly, came down heavily on the CM. He said, "It's a shame that he is plunging the state in darkness with his beliefs."