S. A. Hemanth
Bengaluru, April 26: Forty-five years ago in 1978, Smt Indira Gandhi visited Sri Sringeri Mutt and offered fruits to the temple elephant.
Indira was on tour of Chickamagalur district where she was fighting the bye-elections to Lok Sabha from Chickamagalur, the seat vacated by D. B. Chandre Gowda.
In 2023, after 45 years, Indira Gandhi’s grand daughter Priyanka visited Sri Sringeri Mutt and offered fruits to the temple elephant on Wednesday.
Priyanka, Of Course, is not contesting any election but she is on election tour of the Coffee-rich Chickamagalur district.
While Indira sought the blessings of Sri Bharathi Teertha Swamiji, Priyanka sought the blessings from Sri Vidushekhara Bharathi, the junior pontiff of Sringeri Mutt.
Indira Gandhi was accompanied by the then chief minister D. Devaraj Urs while Priyanka Gandhi was accompanied by state Congress and Mahila Congress leaders.
The victory of Indira Gandhi in the Chickamagalur bye-elections put the Congress party on the comeback trail.
In the general elections held to the parliament in 1980, the Congress party registered a fantastic victory. Indira Gandhi once again the Prime Minister.
After her victory, Indira made it a point to visit Sri Sringeri Mutt.
It remains to be seen whether Priyanka’s visit to Sri Sringeri Mutt will help the Congress to win the May 10 Assembly elections.
EOM.
