Gowda Family's Belief in Astrology, Planetary Positions Eclipses Governance in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The ruling Gowda family's belief in astrology, astrologers, planets, Vaastu and auspicious timings is legendary.

They break a new record everytime.

There has been no Cabinet meeting for almost a month and all major decisions are put on hold. The reason — "Aashada" Masa, which is considered inauspicious for any good thing.

According to insiders the family patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has advised his son and chief minister H D Kumaraswamy against holding a Cabinet meeting during "Aashada" which ends on August 12th.

After Kumaraswamy came to power there has been a record rainfall in about 70% of the state. Thirty five big and small reservoirs have reached the maximum storage capacity and it is a record in decades.

Heaviest rainfall has also caused a lot of misery to people in Malnad and coastal Karnataka.

But there has been no Cabinet meeting to discuss the relief measures.

The major partner in the alliance, an embarrassed Congress had asked the CM to convene the Cabinet meetings every week. But the belief in astrology is not allowing the Gowdas to allow that.

"Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara and the Chief Secretary to the state government T M Vijayabhaskar have advised the CM to hold Cabinet meetings every week. But Kumaraswamy is not ready. We know "Aashada" is the real reason. Their personal belief in astrology should not be extended to government. This is not done. They are setting a bad precedent," said a Cabinet minister from the Congress.

When contacted, the Gowda family declined to comment. Deve Gowda said that their belief in such things had helped the family and the party immensely.

On the day of Red Moon eclipse the entire Gowda clan, including Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy, were busy with temple rounds and special havans to ward off the evil effects of "Grahana" or the eclipse.

The PWD minister and chief minister's elder brother H D Revanna is extremely religious even by the Gowda family standards.

Not a day passes by without one or the other member of the Gowda family conducting some Vedic ritual or visiting some temple.

They genuinely believe that the spiritual and the temporal are one and the same.