Self-styled cult leadership: It’s a game of power and pelf too often

Like several of their ilk, their career paths had unremarkable beginnings before their sudden inexplicable rise to fame and popular reverence. Once there, they accumulated unimaginable wealth, built sprawling institutions and ran personal fiefs within their communes. 

They have hundreds of thousands of followers, ranging from the poorest right up to senior politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders, police officials and judges. Their rise seemed inversely related to law abidance. A few had private armies, with military grade weapons and former soldiers, bureaucrats and lawyers on their payrolls.

Also read: Hathras Stampede: UP govt suspends 6 officials for ‘negligence’ as SIT report flags ’big conspiracy’

You might know these venerable leaders with their better-recognized names: Asaram Bapu (convicted, among other things, of raping minors), Chandraswami (convicted of fraud and financial irregularities and also suspected of involvement in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination), Ram Rahim Gurmeet Singh (convicted of rape and murder) and Ma Anand Sheela of Osho-cult notoriety (convicted in the US of attempted murder, bio-terror, assault, immigration fraud and more).

Several other such ‘holy’ entrepreneurs run billion-dollar businesses, marketing their teachings—peace of mind workshops, soul recharging retreats, freedom from the material rat race, and instant relief from grief and guilt. Yet, others have expanded into more substantial product lines, ranging from Ayurvedic medicines to household daily-use products.

Some have leveraged their followings into vote banks, transcending to higher levels and acting as power brokers in the field of politics. So deep is this involvement that even those serving multiple life sentences for rape and murder have been brazenly ‘released’ on parole before elections. 

That such links are largely seen as marginal scandals in the overall scheme of national affairs tells us something about a form of power that the Constitution did not either envisage or endorse.

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While cult leaders have impacted thousands of lives adversely over the decades, ironically, a stampede is what drew attention again to the phenomenon of ‘godmen’ (and godwomen) who command outsize influence that neither propriety nor common sense can justify. 

More than a hundred followers of a cult leader died recently near Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, in a human crush caused by a rush to touch either his feet or the ground on which he walked.

Why do cult leaders thrive? The easy answer is lack of education and awareness among the masses, who tend to be superstitious. This has been the standard explanation for decades. But the real reason is the mechanics of power.

Almost all forms of governance, including democracy, eventually concentrate power (and command of resources) in a tiny elite. For instance, it is estimated that just 1% of Indians possess over 40% of its wealth. But in a democracy, where every citizen counts equally, the individual’s right to vote remains powerful, assuring ordinary people a chance to impact power distribution. This equity is important.

There are only two ways of getting that vote. One is to treat each citizen as an equally valuable individual and work towards making that person’s life better, done by ensuring that everyone has adequate nutrition, education, developmental opportunities, and above all, a scientific temperament. This approach requires tumultuous reforms that will disturb power and wealth equations and invite the wrath of status quo beneficiaries who oppose change. 

Secondly, this would also mean equitable distribution of wealth, not just now, but in perpetuity, necessitating the top 1% to share more. (As for those who believe they are distanced from such inequity, they should think about the contrast between posh flats and servant quarters in urban islands of prosperity.)

Also read: Hathras stampede: From 24 ashrams to expensive car, ‘Bhole Baba’ holds assets worth ₹100 crore

Equitable growth and well-being requires visionary thinking and distributive leadership. It needs concrete work in the present before asking for votes for the future.

The other approach is to grab votes in the present, the future be damned. This is where some ‘holy’ men (and women) draw their true power from. Cults helps political players mobilize masses. For instance, the convicted cult leader who uses a multi-faith name reportedly still has tens of millions of followers in spite of his conviction. In states like Punjab and Haryana, which together have 23 Lok Sabha constituencies, that’s electorally significant.

Over 160 years ago, a brave reformer called Karsandas Mulji took on centuries of socially sanctioned exploitation done in the name of tradition. The saga of the Maharaj Libel case was brilliantly renditioned as a recent film that’s available on Netflix. But 16 decades later, such exploitation still seems to thrive. This is because it was never about tradition. It was about illegitimate power.

There are many black sheep ‘babas’ spewing falsehoods out there. And unless their nefarious connections are exposed, they will continue to wield disproportionate power over millions.