New Delhi, Mar 7: Former bus driver and union leader Nicolas Maduro, successor to Hugo Chavez, is an ardent follower of Satya Sai Baba.
One of Maduro's offices features a large portrait of the late spiritual guru, whom he and his wife, Cilia Flores, visited at Puttaparthi in Anantapur district in 2005.
Maduro followed a simple strategy when he filled in for cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over the past three months: copy his boss's policies, his style and even his fierce rhetoric.
The details of the conversation Maduro had with Sathya Sai Baba are not available but the successor to Chavez is known to be the staunch follower of the Baba.
In fact, the death of Baba due to multi-organ failure on April 24, 2011was discussed in the Venezuela Parliament at the behest of Maduro.
The photographs of Maduro sitting on the floor in front of the late Indian spiritual guru during his visit are also available. Also, Maduro's office features a large portrait of the Baba, which was gifted to him during his 2005 visit.
In a statement, Sathya Sai Central Trust confirmed that Maduro had visited Puttaparthi during his tenure as the foreign affairs minister of Venezuela.
