Delcy Rodriguez, Acting President of Venezuela, is visiting India for the first time since taking office after democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro was abducted by U.S. forces in January. The five-day trip focuses on energy cooperation, particularly supplying Venezuelan crude oil to India as New Delhi seeks to diversify imports due to supply disruptions from the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
However, diplomacy is not the only goal. Rodriguez, a follower of Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba, is expected to visit his birthplace in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh state. Her predecessor, Maduro, was also a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba.
Sathya Sai Baba, born Sathyanarayana Raju in November 1926 in Puttaparthi village, declared himself the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a 19th-century Indian saint, at age 14. He gained global fame in the 1970s-1980s for his ability to 'materialize' objects like rings or sacred ash, and was believed to heal the sick and even resurrect the dead. Despite scientific criticism labeling his feats as trickery, he amassed a large following, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, and numerous politicians and business leaders.
Sathya Sai Baba's life was also mired in controversy. In 2002, the UK Parliament documented allegations of sexual abuse of young boys among devotees. In 2004, BBC released the documentary 'The Secret Swami' investigating these claims. The Guardian newspaper in 2006 cited a U.S. State Department travel warning about 'inappropriate sexual behavior' by a prominent religious leader, which officials later confirmed referred to Sai Baba. Nonetheless, he was never prosecuted. After his death in April 2011, multiple suitcases of cash and gold were found in his private quarters, leading to fraud allegations, though his trust fund asserted all tax obligations were met.
Rodriguez has long been a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba, frequently traveling to Puttaparthi, most recently in 2024. She once shared: 'Many times, when I face danger, I feel Baba is with me, my family, and my country. He always teaches us the path to peace and love.' In her first press conference as acting president, she conveyed Sai Baba's teachings to the Venezuelan people.
This spiritual bond is not unique to her. A 2005 photo shows Maduro and his wife seated at Sai Baba's feet. Maduro's office displayed a portrait of the guru. When Sai Baba died, Maduro declared national mourning in Venezuela and called him 'a man of light,' 'a lighthouse of unconditional love.'
Currently, Rodriguez's visit comes amid a surge in Venezuelan oil imports to India. After Maduro's detention, the new government signed a fresh oil deal with the U.S., allowing some companies to buy Venezuelan crude directly from PDVSA. Venezuela supplied India about 417,000 barrels per day this month, up from 283,000 bpd in April. Rodriguez hopes to secure agreements to further boost crude exports amid the global oil supply crisis.
