Credit ‘war’ erupts among candidates in Shirdi after HC clears flower offerings at Sai temple

Nashik: A ‘war' of claims and counterclaims has erupted among three heavyweight contestants in Shirdi assembly constituency in Ahliyanagar over Bombay high court's Aurangabad bench order on Thursday allowing resumption of flower and garland offerings at Sai temple in Shirdi.
While the loyalists of sitting BJP MLA and state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil claimed that the latter had been pursuing the issue to mitigate the distress of flower farmers in the constituency, Congress's Prabhavati Ghogare and BJP rebel Rajendra Pipada blamed Vikhe Patil, who is also the district guardian minister, for not addressing the issue earlier despite repeated requests from farmers.
Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) management had restricted entry of devotees on the temple premises with flowers and garlands for offering to Saibaba after the Covid pandemic unfolded in 2020. The restrictions are still in place although the pandemic has ebbed.
The bench of Justice Sailesh Brahme and Justice Mangesh Patil in an order on Thursday held, "It would be appropriate that permission is granted to Shri Saibaba Sansthan/Trust for resuming offering of flowers/garland. The temple's ad hoc committee should take appropriate decisions at the earliest regarding the manner in which it decides to dispose of waste to be generated by virtue of offering of the flowers/garlands."
The CEO of SSST and one of ad hoc committee members Goraksha Gadilkar told TOI that the panel would study the court's verdict. "The sale of flowers and garlands would be through the employees' credit society of Sansthan. We will take 7-8 days to work out the modalities," he added.
The resumption of offering of flowers at Sai Temple has implications in the upcoming polls as there are an estimated 20,000 voters — comprising over 900 farmers and their family members —who would benefit from the court's order in the constituency. The economic condition of these farmers had deteriorated hugely after the temple trust imposed restrictions. The farmers used to earn around Rs 1,500 on an average daily by selling flowers near the temple.
"The efforts that I have put on the issue have now borne fruit. The HC's decision will bring relief to farmers and their families who were facing severe financial losses," Vikhe Patil said in a statement. His son and former MP Sujay Vikhe Patil said that his father has always been behind the farmers and allegations made by the opposition against his father are baseless. "My father has been a devotee of Saibaba, and he will win the polls convincingly," said Sujay.
Vikhe Patil's loyalists said that they are optimistic that these flower farmers and their families would repose their faith in Vikhe Patil. "The flower farmers and their families constitute a sizable chunk of voters in the constituency. BJP would certainly be in an advantageous position in the polls as far as these voters are concerned," they said.
However, the Congress nominee blamed Vikhe Patil for farmers' distress. "May Saibaba give him wisdom to not take credit for the court's verdict. The last four years have been agonising for these farmers and their families and Patil, who is the local MLA, should have been proactive in resolving the issue much earlier," Ghogare said.
"Vikhe Patil did not stand behind the farmers, who faced a difficult time in the last four years due to the restrictions. The farmers and their families are well aware of the reality, which would find reflection on voting day," he added.
The rebel BJP candidate accused Vikhe Patil of not taking any initiative for resumption of sale of flowers and garlands near the temple premises after the pandemic ebbed.
"All temples across the country had started allowing devotees to offer flowers at shrines, except Sai temple. Vikhe Patil is the guardian minister of the district, and he should be blamed for the financial misery of farmers for such a long time," said Pipada, adding that he had not only filed a PIL in HC on the issue but also written to deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, drawing his attention to the issue.