‘First, our investments; now, our temples’: Maharashtra Opposition hits out at BJP over sixth Jyotirlinga claim

As per Hindu beliefs, the places from where Lord Shiva emerged are known as Jyotirlingas and there are 12 such Jyotirlingas across the country. People in Maharashtra believe that the Bhimashankar temple in the scenic and lush jungles of the Sahyadri ranges in Pune district’s Khed taluka is the sixth Jyotirlinga.

Following the ad, as Opposition parties in Maharashtra launched a blistering attack against the state government, accusing the BJP of a “mischievous” ploy to take away important pilgrimage centres from the state to other states, the saffron party dismissed it as a “printing error”.

Raising strong objections, the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders slammed the BJP-ruled Assam government. Leading the attack were NCP MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

Sule, the daughter of NCP president Sharad Pawar, urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to register a strong protest against the Assam government for falsely claiming rights over Bhimashankar.

“There is a deliberate ploy to undermine Maharashtra. The Assam government’s claim over the sixth Jyotirlinga is misleading and mischievous. The Maharashtra government should admonish such a move,” Sule said. “First, they walked away with our investments to Gujarat, now they are hijacking our temples,” she added.

“The Assam government should promote its own temples. We have no objection. We respect all places of worship. But why make a false claim on the sixth Jyotirlinga Bhimashankar which is located in Maharashtra?” Aaditya asked.

State Congress leader Nana Patole also slammed the BJP. “From temples to industries, Maharashtra’s loot by the BJP is an open secret. Wonder, what is next?”

The Opposition also hurled barbs at Shinde, questioning if he had traded Bhimashankar to Assam for Operation Lotus – the Shinde-led rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks that saw the party split – at Guwahati.

“The Assam CM has not laid claim over Bhimashankar. The tourism department advertisement has mixed up a local Shiva temple pilgrimage with the sixth Jyotirlinga of Bhimashankar. It was a case of misinformation. After all, the Assam government is in India. It is not a fight over territorial rights,” a senior BJP cabinet minister said.

State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, meanwhile, dismissed the Opposition charge that Maharashtra was being undermined as “baseless”. “Whether it is industries or pilgrimage (centres) the Shinde-Fadnavis government has preserved their rights,” he said.

Notwithstanding the back-and-forth arguments, it is a fact that the Rs 1.5 lakh crore Vedanta-Foxconn project and the Rs 22,000 crore Tata Airbus projects went to Gujarat from Maharashtra last year.

Interestingly, Sule’s ardent appeal to the Maharashtra government to fight for Bhimashankar transcends political boundaries. Sule’s mother Pratibhatai Pawar is a devotee who visits Bhimashankar every year during the monsoons (Shravan).

There is even an interesting anecdote associated with Bhimashankar and Sharad Pawar. According to NCP insiders, in the late 1970s, then Congress leader Dattatray Walse Patil requested Sharad Pawar to visit Ambegaon taluka. “Pawar, who was then a cabinet minister, stayed at a forest guest house. In those days there was no electricity. They had oil lamps. It was around 1.30 am when Pawar woke up sensing something moving. He was shocked to see a huge snake slithering through his body,” a source said.

Pawar reportedly called Patil, who rushed to his room, and narrated the incident. Patil told Pawar that it was an auspicious sign and that Lord Shiva, whose abode Bhimashankar was nearby, had blessed him. Pawar reportedly insisted that they pray at Bhimashankar and Pawar consented. Within eight to 10 days, in July 1978, Pawar became the youngest chief minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38 years.

Apart from the anecdote narrated by NCP leaders, including Sharad Pawar himself in the past, Bhimashankar holds a special place of pride for Maharashtra. It is the source of the Bhima river, which flows along and merges with the Krishna river in western Maharashtra. It also happens to be a trekkers’ haven and the area is a paradise for nature lovers. Over the years, the area around the temple has witnessed a lot of development. But the mystery of the Sahyadri ranges still holds special appeal.