Shirdi Temple Speakers Shut for Chief Minister.

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Shirdi Temple Speakers Shut to let Chief Minister Speak.Vaishali Balajiwale / DNAFriday, August 7, 2009 2:03 ISTNashik: Chief minister Ashok Chavan's public rally in Shirdi on Wednesday drew ire from local residents when the loudspeakers on which the evening Aarti is heard were put off.Chavan was in Shirdi to inaugurate the Shirdi-Pimpalwadi drinking Water

Scheme and a Shopping Complex. The rally that followed was organised near the famous Saibaba temple.The Dhoop Aarti of Saibaba done at sunset was being conducted at 7pm in presence of a large number of devotees who had come to Shirdi on the occasion of Rakshabandhan. This was the time when the chief minister arrived at the venue of the rally and rose to speak..The Loudspeakers of the Temple run by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust are installed in about a 5-10km area around the holy place. The aartis are conducted four times a day.As the CM's speech was to begin, the organisers of the rally, among whom were the Minister for Law and the Trustee of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust - Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Trust Chairman and MLA Jayant Sasane and the CEO, ordered the speakers to be switched off and the

aarti to be conducted inside the temple, sources said.This was the first time in the history of the temple that the speakers were put off for a political programme. This irked the locals who on Thursday protested against the act. Many political parties also protested and submitted a memorandum to the trust board. The Chairman of the Trust is stated to have tendered his apology on the incident.It has also been said that one of the doors of the temple had to be closed for about 5-6 hours during rush hours because of the rally.However, the Chief Minister may not have been aware of the incident. For, when he came to seek darshan in the temple later, he insisted that the devotees should not be disturbed for his presence and sought blessings of Saibaba amidst the rush.Chavan and his

family have been devotees of Saibaba, sources said.Source - http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_shirdi-temple-speakers-shut-to-let-cm-speak_1280317On silent mOde - rOhit beHaL

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