PUNE Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Dehu for the inauguration of the Jagatguru Shri Sant Tukaram Shila (rock) temple on Tuesday, June 14, the warkaris are a happy lot as this will be only their second event within a time span of eight months to witness the PM’s participation.
However, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to skip the inauguration of the Dehu Shila temple on Tuesday, although he may be present when the PM visits the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on the same day.
According to protocol, the state chief minister or a senior leader from the state cabinet is also present whenever the PM visits that state. For instance, when the PM performed the ground-breaking ceremonies of the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi marg and Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi marg on November 8 last year, union minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray were also present on the occasion. Similarly when the PM visited Pune to inaugurate the Pune metro in the first week of March this year, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was also present on the occasion.
BJP state unit president Chandrakant Patil said, “All necessary arrangements have been made for the PM’s Dehu visit. After inauguration of the temple, he will address the warkaris. Around 50,000 warkaris from all parts of the state are likely to attend the event.”
{{/usCountry}}BJP state unit president Chandrakant Patil said, “All necessary arrangements have been made for the PM’s Dehu visit. After inauguration of the temple, he will address the warkaris. Around 50,000 warkaris from all parts of the state are likely to attend the event.”
{{/usCountry}}The last time the PM attended a programme organised by the warkaris was on November 8, 2021, when he performed the ground-breaking ceremonies of the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi marg (221 km) and Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi marg (130 km). While Dehu is 30 km away from Pune city and almost a part of Pimpri-Chinchwad, the last time the PM visited Pune was just three months’ ago in the first week of March this year when he inaugurated the Pune metro. Every year, the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhis begin from Alandi and Dehu, respectively, and culminate in Pandharpur with 4 to 5 lakh warkaris.