Sai successor may be named next week

Putthaparthi, April 30: Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust on Thursday blamed “vested interests” for the recent spate of “untrue” and “engineered” reports about infighting, flight of gold from Prashanti Nilayam and Baba’s medical condition prior to his admission to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Medical Sciences.

Addressing a press conference, perhaps, for the first time, at the Sathya Sai Indoor Stadium here, the trustees, in one voice, asserted that the Trust was transparent and united and rubbished the controversies as “uninspiring.”

Replying to a volley of questions, the trustees — Indulal Shah, SV Giri, Justice PN Bhagawati, V Srinivasan, RJ Ratnakar, Trust secretary K Chakravarthy and two others involved in Trust affairs, Naganand and Shetty, replied to each and every allegation levelled against them in recent days.

On the critical question of Baba’s successor, Srinivasan said they were yet to take a decision. “There is no differe ce of opinion among the Trust members. All decisions are taken after discussions and consensus. One of the Trust members would be the next person heading it,” he said.

Ratnakar, who is also a nephew of Baba, said the authority to sign cheques could be delegated to two members of the Trust.

The cheque power used to rest with Sathya Sai Baba. After his death, the Trust members are likely to make two persons as signatory authorities.

“We will take a decision as early as possible as we have to give salaries to the employees on the first of every month,” a Trust member said.

Asked about Baba’s personal assistant Satyajit, Srinivasan replied that Satyajit, who is being accused of neglecting Baba’s health, was only an employee of the Trust and that he was unlikely to be a role as a trustee. Ratnakar also trashed reports on his alleged differences with Satyajit.

“We don’t have any differences. We have a reasonably good rapport,” he said. On the controversies related to Baba’s health, Srinivasan said his day to day health condition was made public in the form of health bulletins twice a day right from the day he was hospitalised.

“Bhagawan was carrying out normal activities. We have no reason to believe that something was extraordinarily wrong with him. He chose his doctor like any of us and he was administered the medicines prescribed by the doctor,” he said.

Ratnakar clarified that Baba’s family members were allowed to visit the spiritual leader once a day while he was in the hospital.

In a parting shot, Naganand, the Trust’s financial advisor, said, “We will take legal action against a particular media organization for its recent report. We have already sent legal notices to them.”

Asked about Ratnakar performing the last rites when there was an elder brother to him, he claimed that it was “Bhagawan’s order.”

–Agencies