Journalist –turned-politician Shahid Siddiqui makes a startling claim in his recent memoir. He alleges that after losing power in 1977, Indira Gandhi resorted to “ jaadu tona ” — black magic — to vanquish her rivals. Siddiqui claims the former Prime Minister, revered as the ‘Iron Lady’ by her supporters, hired the services of a Maulvi to seek Allah’s intervention in her pursuit of power ( I Witness: 2025 ).

While denied by those close to her, the allegation highlights a pervasive truth about Indian society — the deep entanglement of babas and maulvis not just among the masses but also within the power corridors of the country.

Indira Gandhi herself was a disciple of Dhirendra Brahmachari, frequently dubbed India’s Rasputin for his outsized influence over the Gandhis in the late 1970s

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