Obama to receive monkey god idol!

NEW DELHI, India - June 24, 2008 - With Democratic Senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the U.S. presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious.

Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-foot-high idol which she will pass on to Obama after it is sanctified.

The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms.

An hour-long prayer meeting to sanctify the idol was earlier organized at Sankat Mochan Dham and by Congress leader Brijmohan Bhama, Balmiki Samaj and the temple's priests.

"Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are presenting an idol of Hanuman to him," said Bhama.

Accepting the souvenir, Sauvage-Mar, who is chairperson of Democrats Abroad-India, said, "Obama has extended his thanks for the support."

However, questions about Obama's religious beliefs elicited just a smile from Sauvage-Mar, apparently to avoid controversy back home where the Democratic Senator is pitted against the Republican Party's John McCain in the Presidential polls.

The idol will be kept at the temple for 11 more days and then sent to the United States.

"We will perform the prayers for 11 days and then hand the idol to Carolyn who will send it to Obama," said the temple priest.