Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, who is a self-declared rationalist and atheist, sent his Deputy Chief Minister-son MK Stalin to Puttaparthy on Sunday to mourn the death of Sri Satya Sai Baba and pay the last respects.

Believe it or not, Karunanidhi turned a devotee of Sri Satya Sai Baba overnight in 2007 after the Baba donated Rs.200 Cr to a drinking water project of Tamil Nadu.

Taking a break from the established tradition in which Chief Ministers, Governors and Prime Ministers used to wait at Prashanthy Nilayam to seek the blessings of Baba, Baba himself walked into the residence of Karunanidhi on his request once in Chennai and blessed his family members.

Later at a function in which the Baba was felicitated in Chennai, Karunanidhi also participated and praised Baba almost hinting that Baba was equivalent to God. “When it comes to holy men, I can easily make out the fake ones and the original. Arulmigu Sai Baba wants to remove the sufferings and hardships of the poor people in the country. Such persons are greater than saints and in fact they are equivalent to God,” declared Karunanidhi.

In this picture, Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal was seen seeing the blessings of the Baba at their residence in January 2007.