Fadnavis govt accords MoS status to chairman of Siddhivinayak Temple

Following the example of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has now accorded MoS status to the chairman of Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple, Adesh Bandekar.

Bandekar, who happens to be a local Shiv Sena leader, shot to fame after he released a purported audio clip of the CM during the Palghar Lok Sabha by poll. The Devendra Fadnavis-led Law and Judiciary Department issued an order detailing the status and related facilities to be provided to Bandekar.

“I won't take any allowance, I just want to serve people. The status of MoS has not been given to a man, it has been given to the position (Chairman of Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple) in which I am right now,” said Bandekar, after receiving MoS rank.

In the audio-clip which Bandekar had released, Fadnavis was seen urging party workers to “use all means” to win the poll. Furious with the video having gone viral, Fadnavis had said that chairman of Siddhivinayak Temple Trust should not have indulged in dirty tricks.

BJP government has been on a rough patch with alliance partner Shiv Sena in Maharashtra for quite a long time. Analysts say that by giving MoS status to the chairman of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust, BJP has tried to pacify Shiv Sena on the one hand and woo Hindu votes on the other.

It can be recalled that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had accorded MoS status to five Hindu religious leaders in April this year—Computer Baba, Pandit Yogendra Mahant, Narmadanand Maharaj, Hariharanand Maharaj and recently deceased Bhayyuji Maharaj.

Computer Baba and Mahant, a former Congress corporator, had announced a state-wide campaign named “Narmada Ghotala Yatra” against the Chouhan government. After the announcement, Congress had accused BJP of “exploiting religion for political gain.”