Computer Baba, demanded a helicopter for the circumambulation of the Narmada, saying he will need a modern “astra shastra” if the river is to be saved.Within minutes of joining office at the Madhya Pradesh secretariat on Tuesday, Namdev Das Tyagi, popularly known as Computer Baba, demanded a helicopter for the circumambulation of the Narmada, saying he will need a modern “astra shastra” if the river is to be saved.
The controversial religious functionary was appointed chairman of Narmada, Kshipra and Mandakini River Trust by the Kamal Nath government on March 10 but had not joined duty. He does not enjoy minister of state status yet.
On Tuesday, he reported for work amid religious rituals in the presence of former CM Digvijaya Singh, for whom he had campaigned in the recent general elections, and state Law Minister P C Sharma and a few religious functionaries. He requested Singh to ensure that he is provided a helicopter within a week so that he could inspect the river and begin ground work. Before demanding helicopter, he accused the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of corruption in planting of saplings along the Narmada and announced a probe.
He also announced a helpline to receive complaints of illegal mining in the river. He said a Narmada Sena, which will have youngsters from villages as members, will be formed to save the sacred river.
A year ago, Chouhan had appointed him on a panel to clean and rejuvenate the river and accorded him minister of state status. Ahead of the state Assembly elections, he resigned from his post and sided with the Congress, calling the previous government irreligious. When Kamal Nath was sworn in, he was seated prominently on the dais and in his brief speech targeted the previous government of abandoning the cause of the ‘gau mata’ and saints.
