Monday, March 22, 2010

ANS, Astrologers stake Counterclaims


While the ANS has said that the astrologers who took up the challenge of the ANS to predict the poll verdict have failed through and through, astrologers have said that the election results were as per their  psychic predictions. Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANS) and astrologers have made contrary claims about the accuracy of astrology in predicting assembly poll outcome.

After the assembly elections a few weeks ago they were announced, ANS -- which believes that astrology  reading has no scientific basis -- had invited the astrologers to foretell results of the polls by looking at the horoscopes of candidates and political parties.

Contestants were expected to choose any 10 candidates, obtain their horoscopes, and predict how they would fare.

“We got some 50 replies. The astrologers have failed 101 per cent -- anyone can come and go through the file at our office,” said Dr Narendra Dabholkar of ANS. “We had made it clear that participating astrologers must also explain how they arrive at the predictions - must not be a mere guesswork. But almost nobody could give us reasoning behind the predictions,” he said.

Besides, predictions themselves were proved to be way off-the-mark, he added. “We believe that astrologers are nothing but sellers of dream. Belief in astrology leads to fatalism. That is why we want to expose them,” said Dr Dabholkar. 

The ANS, which has over 100 branches in the state, had also announced prize of Rs 21 lakh for the right prediction, but astrologers in the state have failed to earn it. Dabholkar said that very soon ANS was planning to give another “test” to those who believe in astrology.

“We would give them some horoscopes, without revealing the person’s identity. They will have to find out about each person’s marital status, financial condition, etc,” he said.

Siddheshwar Maratkar of Pune-based Jyotish Vidya Prasarak Mandal, however, claimed that many astrologers had scientifically predicted about poll victory of the Congress-NCP front.

In a statement, Maratkar said that with the study of  astrology horoscope of parties and their leaders, it was possible to predict poll outcome. The study helped to predict that the Congress-NCP front had better poll prospects as compared to the saffron alliance, the statement said. (With PTI inputs)


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