Succession
During the customary 13 days of mourning following Shri Hans's death, the succession was discussed by DLM officials. The youngest son, 8-year-old Prem Rawat, addressed the crowd and was accepted by them, as well as by his mother and brothers, as the "Perfect Master". Though Prem Rawat was officially the leader of the DLM, because of his young age authority was shared by the whole family.
For the next eight years Hans Ji Maharaj's family supported Prem Rawat as his successor but the latter's decision to marry a Westerner in 1974 precipitated a struggle for control of DLM. Mata Ji returned to India and appointed her oldest son Satpal as the new head of DLM India claiming that Prem Rawat had broken his spiritual discipline by marrying and becoming a "playboy". The Western premies remained loyal to Rawat but the marriage led to a permanent rift within the family and was also credited with causing a profound disruption in the movement.
Satpal became the new head of the organization in India and later also became a prominent INC politician, being elected to the 11th and 15th Lok Sabha; he is considered a satguru by his followers.
Read more about this topic: Hans Ji Maharaj
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