Spiritual guru's suicide shocks friends, followers

Mumbai: The suicide of spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj in Indore on Tuesday has sent shock waves through Maharashtra’s political circles, where he was said to have maximum clout.

As far back as September 19, 2011, Udaysingh Deshmukh aka Bhaiyyu Maharaj, was seen giving lemon juice to then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, to end his Sadbhavana mission fast. Recently, he was offered minister status in Madhya Pradesh but refused to accept it. Apparently, Bhaiyyu Maharaj wanted to lead a normal life and towards the same, married Dr Ayushi Sharma on May 1, 2017.

All said Bhaiyyu Maharaj was instrumental in several socio-political happenings over the last nearly 20 years. Recently, the state saw a mammoth morcha led by the Maratha community over a range of demands. It was said that Bhaiyyu Maharaj was the one person through whom the state tried to negotiate with the agitators.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj was also close to social activist Anna Hazare. When Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister of the state, Bhaiyyu Maharaj spoke to Mr Hazare several times to break the deadlock between the veteran activist and the state government. So much so that when Mr Hazare agitated for the right to information in Maharashtra, it was Bhaiyyu Maharaj who tried to mend fences between the government and him.

During elections, it was said that Bhaiyyu Maharaj helped candidates get tickets of all parties. So much so that hopefuls ran to meet him at his Indore ashram ahead of elections.

The guru also helped a number of social organisations working for the marginalised and poor sections of the community. He helped NGOs working for farmers’ welfare and on many occasions, arranged community marriages for farmers’ children. He helped bright students from Marathwada and Vidarbha to get further education in Pune, Mumbai and even abroad.