THE TEMPLE town of Dehu is all ready to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be inaugurating a shila (rock) temple at the existing Sant Tukaram Maharaj temple. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Dehu around 1 pm on Tuesday. He will also address devotees and local residents at a venue some distance away. While the administration of the Dehu Sansthan said they were not aware of the protocol of the Prime Minister's visit, BJP leader Mahesh Landge said after inaugurating the temple, the Prime Minister will address the crowd. "It will not be a political address. It will be more about the warkaris as the 'wari' is set to take off from Dehu on June 20," said Landge. Landge said the Prime Minister will share the stage with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari will not attend the event. "I am not aware whether the CM and Governor will be present at the PM's Mumbai function. But neither the CM nor the Governor is attending the Dehu function," said Landge. Nitin More, who heads the Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Sansthan, Dehu, said the 'shila' temple has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore, which was donated by devotees. "We have not taken any financial assistance from the state government.It took six years for the temple to be built," he said. "The temple will house a shila or rock that is revered by the Warkari sect as the starting point of the annual pilgrimage, which is known as wari. The wari culminates in Pandharpur," the administration said. The Prime Minister will also be presented with a special headgear on the occasion. "It will be a designer Tukaram pagdi which the PM will be honoured with," More said. The administration said the temple will be closed for devotees during PM's visit. Meanwhile, police have made elaborate security arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit to Dehu. As part of the preparations, top brass of Maharashtra Police visited the temple. In consultation with central security formations, a multi-layered security system has been put in place, officials said.
