After Sri Satya Sai Baba who will be his successor, is the question plaguing everyone now. This is the million dollar question doing the rounds about India's biggest godman who might well leave behind the biggest succession battle ever. As Sai Baba's fast deteriorating health spread anxiety and despair among his disciples and large number of devotees, serious questions abound about who would inherit the mega spiritual empire that Saibaba built over the last few decades.
Trust members Indulal Shah and former chief justice P N Bhagawati are expected to arrive in Puttaparthi today to minutely scrutinize the accounts and fund management. "The two will pour over documents and key papers and assess the financial status of the trust and discuss what needs to be done to keep it running in the future," sources said. Indulal Shah is a renowned chartered accountant from Mumbai.
Even as Baba battles for his life inside the ICU at the super speciality hospital at Prasanthi Gram village on the outskirts of Puttaparthi, the 'power games' to rule the Sai empire cannot be wished away. "Trust secretary K Chakravarthi's word is final as he is an authority on all the financial matters concerning the trust. It's no mean task to run the trust which has seva organisations world over," says an inmate of Prashanthi Nilayam.
On the other hand, additional forces were rushed to Puttaparthi and checkposts in the town doubled even as the health condition of Satya Saibaba deteriorated further on Wednesday. The state government, which is now taking an active role in the matter, reviewed the situation with regard to Baba's health and the growing tension in and around Puttaparthi.
However, Baba's nephew and trust member R J Ratnakar says the the trust has rules clearly laid down in the trust deeds. "The trust is recognised and registered under the Income Tax Act, Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act and other laws as applicable. All the institutions like schools, university, hospitals and other seva organisations are run by the respective trusts, under the umbrella of the Central Trust. There is or will be no vacuum in Prasanthi Nilayam. We firmly believe that Saibaba will continue to guide the trustees to carry out all the schemes."
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