The 'saint' who loved opulence, spotlight

Bhopal: Bhiayyuji Maharaj, the self-styled godman who had shunned the glamour world of modelling to embrace spirituality, had loved to live in opulence and spotlight, if his life-style and high profile followers are any indication.

Forty nine-year-old spiritual leader allegedly shot himself to death on Tuesday sending shockwaves among his thousands of followers who included a number of Bollywood celebrities and veteran leaders cutting across political line.

The “Grihasta Sant”, as he was known among his disciples for leading a family life despite being a spiritual leader, first hogged spotlight when he reportedly heeded to a plea by a senior minister in the Manmohan Singh government in 2011 to successfully broker peace with anti-graft crusader Anna Hazzare leading the latter to end his fast.

His clout in corridor of powers in particularly in Madhya Pradesh could be gauged from the fact that the state government had taken an unprecedented and unusual step of according MoS status to five spiritual leaders including him, reportedly at his behest.

His followers included former President Pratibha Patil, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra chief minister, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Narendra Singh Tomar, MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and Bollywood artists, Lata Mangeshkar and her sibling Asha.

He was injured in stone pelting at his car by unidentified people near Pune in 2016. His well-wishers who had visited him then included RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

“He always moved his Mercedes cars. His favourite Rolex watch never left his wrist whenever he was seen in public”, his followers said.

He lived in a sprawling bungalow , a luxury home christened “Silver Spring”, in Indore.