Vande Bharats, temple towns, and blessings on track

Modi defined the new Vande Bharat trains as connecting “economic centres with centres of faith”. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Both these routes are well-connected as far as transportation goes, including by trains and road. However, the government hopes to provide the faithful “hassle-free travel” to popular pilgrimage sites in Sholapur and Shirdi, and it said so in as many words.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on the occasion, “Every year lakhs of people undertake pilgrimage to Shirdi, Pandharpur, Akkalkot, Nashik, overcoming difficulties. With the Vande Bharat Express, the pilgrimage will become comfortable… The travel time and distance will both be saved.”

Modi defined the new Vande Bharat trains as connecting “economic centres with centres of faith”.

People celebrating the arrival of Vande Bharat Express at the Pune railway station. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)

A senior BJP functionary said, “When lakhs of people visit the temple town every year, why shouldn’t a government provide better infrastructure and take credit for it?”

During ‘Ashadi Ekadashi (June-July)’, millions of Warkari devotees of Lord Vitthal undertake pilgrimage on foot for a month, to the temple town of Pandharpur in Solapur. The district has two other prominent pilgrimage centres — Siddheshwar Temple in the heart of Solapur city, and Akkalkot nearby, that draws devotees of Swami Samarth from Maharashtra as well as Karnataka, which incidentally goes to polls in a couple of months.

The train goes on to connect Tuljapur temple in Osmanabad district, whose deity Goddess Bhawani was worshipped by Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Shirdi hosts the well-known Sai Baba temple, with devotees spread across India and abroad. Earlier governments have started air services to the temple town to cater to them. The Vande Bharat to Shirdi, besides, crosses Nashik, where Trimbakeshwar is an established pilgrimage centre along the banks of river Godavari.

Earlier BJP governments in Maharashtra have made sizeable allocations for upgradation of pilgrimage centres.

Taking a dig at Modi’s frequent visits to Maharashtra, Uddhav Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “These show that the BJP no longer trusts its state leaders’ abilities to deliver results in the coming elections. It also exposes Eknath Shinde-led government’s ability to deliver good governance… Even BMC elections cannot be fought without the PM’s help, it seems.”

NCP leader Jayant Patil said, “We are not against infrastructure projects. But it is evident that the government’s project-launching spree is to impress people disappointed with its politics.” The people want the Centre and state to instead resolve issues of unemployment, inflation, agriculture, he said.