Maharashtra: Fadnavis performs 'mahapuja' at Vitthal temple in Pandharpur

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta performed the official puja at the famous Vitthal temple in Pandharpur in Solapur district on the occasion of Kartiki Ekadashi on FridayWarkari couple Uttamrao and Kalavati Salunke got the opportunity to perform the ritual alongside Fadnavis and his wife in the early hours of the dayAs a chief minister earlier I got the opportunity to offer the mahapuja on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi and I am fortunate that I also got the opportunity to offer prayers on the occasion of Kartiki Ekadashi Fadnavis said while addressing the gathering after the ritualThe deputy chief minister lauded the contribution of the warkari sect and said that warkaris kept the flag of the Bhagwat dharma high despite several invasionsFadnavis further said that he had held a meeting on Thursday to discuss development plans for PandharpurWhen Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had come to Pandharpur for Ashadhi Ekadashi he had expressed his views on developing the temple town on the lines of development of various corridors in other religious sites in the country by suggesting changes in the old developmental plans for Pandharpur Fadnavis saidAlso Read MLAs fight ploy to divert peoples attention Maharashtra Congress chief PatoleThe district authorities and other stakeholders have made a good developmental plan for the temple and in the coming days the state government will put it into action he saidI would like to assure all citizens devotees and shopkeepers that they will start the work by taking everyone into confidence without pressurising anyone and by giving adequate compensation to land owners in case of land acquisition the deputy chief minister saidHe further assured that in the process of implementing the development plan the tradition of wari will not be disturbedI was told that along with the development plan the restoration of the temple has to be done urgently I have instructed the district collector to start the restoration work of the temple immediately and the necessary funds will be made available Fadnavis saidThe deputy chief minister said he prayed to Lord Vitthal for prosperity of farmers and the poor in the stateThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever