SHIMLA: While Henry Ford’s company is battling over an overhaul plan that involves laying off 15,000 workers and shutting down plants across the United States, thousands of miles away, his great-grandson is embroiled in a curious controversy that has pitted him against local gods. A $500 million project proposed by Alfred Ford and approved by the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, to turn some of the hills into a ski resort, is confronted by the local deities of the area.
First it was Jamlu devta, the most important deity of Kullu, who ‘‘advised’’ the locals against the project through an oracle. He also asked king of the erstwhile Kullu state, Maheshwar Singh, to hold a congregation of all devtas on the issue. Singh is the ex-chief of BJP’s state unit and a former party MP. The latest salvo that the company has to defend itself against is that the promoter isn’t a Hindu. Jamlu devta too had ‘warned’ that the project would bring in people whose beliefs were not in tune with Hinduism and they would ‘pollute’ the area. These charges have led the promoters of the project to highlight the ‘Hindu’ credentials of Henry Ford’s great grandson.