Parrot fortune tellers, held after predicting PMK candidate’s win, released

Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu): Two roadside astrologers who predicted the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) candidate’s victory in the April 19 Lok Sabha election with the help of their parakeet were arrested on a charge of keeping parakeets caged but was later released, a forest department official said on Wednesday.

During a consultation by film director-politician Thankar Bachan, the PMK candidate for Cuddalore constituency, the astrologers, who are brothers, had used one of their four parakeets to pick a card and read out the prediction that Bachan would win in the election.

In the video of Bachan’s consultation that went viral in social media, the candidate could be seen requesting the astrologer to feed the particular bird and offering it a banana after the consultation.

Four parakeets kept in two cages were seized as this violated the Wildlife Protection Act and the astrologer brothers were later let off with a warning, the official said.

During his election campaign, Bachan visited the Azhagu Muthu Ayyanar temple at Thennampakkam near Cuddalore and sought the astrologers’ service to know about his electoral fortunes.

One of the astrologers released the parakeet from a cage and allowed it to pick up a card. And when the bird selected a card with an image of the presiding deity of Azhagu Muthu Ayyanar temple, the fortune teller interpreted it as an auspicious sign and said Bachan would win the elections.

PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss condemned Tuesday's arrest of the duo.