Ahead of CM's meet, indefinite shutdown of Shirdi called off

With Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray set to convene a meeting on Monday to resolve the controversy surrounding the birthplace of Sai Baba, the residents of Shirdi - a town which houses the most revered temples of the 19th century saint - have called off the indefinite bandh of the town.

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra):Ahead of a meeting set to be convened by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, residents of Shirdi town, famous for its grand Sai Baba temple, called off their indefinite shutdown late on Sunday.

The call for an indefinite bandh was given earlier in the day following a row over the purported birthplace of the revered saint. Late Sunday evening the villagers met and resolved to withdraw the bandh call in view of the meeting with the Chief Minister.

The town with a population of around 37,000 spread across two dozen villages, had called for a bandh to protest the claim that Pathri village in Parbhani district is the birthplace of the 19th century saint.

All shops and commercial establishments, hotels and restaurants, remained shut since Saturday.

However, the Saibaba Samadhi Temple functioned as usual, with the poojas and aartis performed as per schedules, the prasadalaya serving food and prasad to the pilgrims who thronged the town for the weekend darshan, besides the hospital, and hostels, among other facilities, functioned as normal, said a spokesperson for the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) Trust which manages the temple.
Sunday's shutdown was supported by local Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sujay Vikhe-Patil and other local organisations.

The protesters had earlier spurned a call by Chief Minister Thackeray and other leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress to call off the bandh and threatened to continue till their demand is met.

The matter snowballed after Thackeray, who last week visited Pathri, termed it as the ''birthplace'' of Saibaba and announced a Rs 100 crore grant to develop the temple and surrounding areas on the lines of Shirdi, where Saibaba had spent a major part of his life preaching and teaching till he observed ''Samadhi'' in October 1918.

BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil informed media persons that the people of Shirdi have no objections if funds are sanctioned for Pathri's development but had reservations to according it the status of "Sai Baba's birthplace".

Acknowledging the religious sentiment of Shirdi residents, Thackeray has convened a meeting in Mumbai on Monday to resolve the sensitive issue.

Earlier, hundreds of Shirdi residents took out a procession on Saturday morning and evening carrying banners and placards with photos of Sai Baba. They also raised slogans and extolling Sai Baba.

Similar ''counter-protests'' were also held in Pathri.

The gathering at Pathri demanded that all the available 29 evidence and symbols, official and religious records, proving Saibaba was born there should be submitted to Shirdi's SSST authorities to resolve the issue amicably.

NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who prayed at the Shirdi temple on Sunday, said that the shutdown will not resolve the dispute, calling for negotiations without politicising the issue.

MLC and former MLA from Pathri, Durrani Khan said that there is enough historical evidence available to prove that Saibaba was born in Pathri, and his statement was echoed by NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde.

They urged the people of Shirdi to withdraw their indefinite bandh to avoid causing inconvenience to thousands of devotees who visit the town daily.