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Dr K N Rao

It is not politics but economics that should engage the nation's attention

'Choube se chabbe banane gaye the lakin dube ban gaye.'

Meaning: A man who knew all the four Vedas (choube or chaturvedi) wanted to become a chabbe (one who knows six branches of divine knowledge), but ended up by being a Dubey (one who knows only two branches). And that, now they have begun to say openly in political circles, is what has happened to Sitaram Kesri.

The Congress has withdrawn support regularly (to the Charan Singh government in July, 1979, Chandra Shekhar in 1991, H D Deve Gowda in March, 1997 and, finally, I K Gujral), yet Kesri's ambitions have always got dashed to the ground. And the Congress has acquired the dubious reputation of being the most 'withdrawing' party of India.

Were these happenings foreseen astrologically? The pre-poll surveys are favouring the BJP now. If I too repeat that, I will be accused of being influenced. But it is not so. In the Journal of Astrology which I edit, some of the predictions which have come out now were made much in advance. Here is the proof.

The first prediction I made at Houston in USA in June 1995 was reported on July 17 in the Indian Herald under 'Community News':

BJP unstoppable, says astrologer K N Rao

Houston: The Bharatiya Janata Party's quest to replace the Congress as India's ruling party is virtually assured of success, according to K N Rao, a noted astrologer from India.

Rao said that in 1996 election, a weak coalition will come to power and will last but two years or less, making way for the BJP to win big and form a government on its own.

On April 21, 1996, the Hindustan, a Hindi daily, carried this: 'Prepare for the election of 1998 now after a welcome amendment to the Constitution'.

The prediction made in Rediff On The NeT on April 12, 1997 was about the mid-term poll: Rahu will transit into Simha in the last week of June 1997 and stay there for 18 months. Elections may take place anytime during that period. But Mars will have to trigger it off, and that cannot happen till February, late September, or early October 1998'.

Here are the other predictions I made on Rediff:

April 21, 1997: The astrologer can have no rest in tumultuous political times. Now that I K Gujral is to be sworn in the prime minister at 1000 hours on April 21, 1997, how long will he survive in the post? My conclusion was that he would be the prime minister for a period of 3 to 18 months. The multiple of three-month period was operating in his horoscope then.

In November 1997, Gujral faced the crisis when Congress withdrew support. In December 1997, the government fell and the multiple of three months proved correct.

Now the election has been announced in February-March 1998. Thus, all my predictions since 1995 have come true.

The nation will elect a new Parliament now. What are the BJP's chances is the question uppermost in the minds of many, particularly after the poll survey which gave the party and its allies at least 250 to 260 seats.

Yes, it is politics that is attracting the attention of the nation. But in an interview to a Hindi newspaper on October 23, 1997, I spoke about the stringent financial legislation in the coming year, something of a Financial Emergency. The journalist who interviewed me lost Rs 150,000 on October 27, 1997. Since then, India's stock exchange, like that in other Asian countries, has been facing crisis after crisis. The rupee will pinch, and the dollar please for many more months. It is not politics but economics that should engage the nation's attention.

Crystal Ball

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