Dhaneshwar Temple Gaushala Groundbreaking Ceremony: Promotion of Jagtap and Coconut Breaking by Bhausaheb Bhoi

(PCB): Ashwini Jagtap allocated ₹4 million from the MLA fund for the renovation of the Gaushala at the ancient Dhaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Chinchwadgaon. On this occasion, the groundbreaking ceremony for the planned development work was performed by her. During this event organized by the temple committee and the villagers, there was an active promotion campaign for BJP’s potential candidate Shankarsheth Jagtap. In fact, amidst the clapping and cheering, the coconut was broken in honor of the senior former corporator Bhausaheb Bhoi. The youth of Chinchwad and the villagers firmly stood behind Bhoi, which left the Jagtap family somewhat uncomfortable.

The Dhaneshwar Mahadev Temple, a place of reverence for all Chinchwad residents, has a spacious Gaushala on the banks of the Pavana River. Funding was inadequate for the expansion of this Gaushala. This project includes the expansion of the temple garden and Gaushala. The expected cost of this work is in crores. Shankarsheth, who is seeking the BJP nomination for the Assembly from Chinchwad, showed generosity in offering support. With funds sanctioned from the MLA fund of his sister Ashwinita, he assured personal assistance as well. Since this was the largest funding received, the temple committee organized the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday evening with the participation of MLA Ashwinita and Shankarsheth.

Around 250 village leaders from the Chinchwadgaon Panchkroshi were present, including representatives from Chinchwade, Bhoi, Gaode, Golande, Aher, Walhekar, Shedge, Shivale, Bhalke, Nimbalkar, Padwal, Mirjakar, Saykar, and Varma. Among the former and current corporators, Bhausaheb Bhoi, Sham Walhekar, Madhukar Chinchwade, Hanumant Gaode, Rajendra Gaode, Suresh Bhoi, Hari Tikone, Moreshwar Shedge, Ashwini Chinchwade, Sachin Chinchwade, Shekhar Chinchwade, and Karuna Chinchwade were all present.

This was the first event of its kind at this highly revered Mahadev Temple. Nana Shivale delivered the introductory speech. There were timely speeches from Shankarsheth and MLA Ashwinita as well. There was a discussion about the need for H.B.P. More Maharaj and Bhausaheb Bhoi to be given a chance to speak among the attendees. Although speeches did not occur, Bhoi was given the responsibility of expressing gratitude. 

In his acknowledgment speech, Bhoi appropriately honored the contributions and cooperation of the Jagtap family, expressing gratitude on behalf of the villagers. While speaking, he expressed a sentiment of regret that changed the tone of the entire ceremony. Bhoi said, “Today’s event is memorable, but there is a sense of regret. As part of a religious initiative, we spent ₹2 million through the Siddhivinayak Group led by Rajusheth Sankla to construct a hall in front of the temple in 2008. If we consider it now, it was a project worth crores. We did not boast about it anywhere. However, if such a ceremony had taken place back then, it would have been much better. Our assistance was for God, and we did not use it for political purposes.” During this statement, the audience responded with loud applause. The youth cheered for Bhoi by whistling. Bhoi’s pointed remarks about the Shala (a ceremonial shawl) hit the mark accurately. It was evident that all the villagers were firmly standing behind Bhoi, even though he was an independent candidate. While expressing gratitude, Bhoi inadvertently promoted himself. In his speech, Bhoi seized the opportunity and said, “This is the land of Moraya Gosavi. The revolution of the Chapekar brothers happened here. It was in this very Dhaneshwar Temple that the Chapekar brothers took the oath of the Rand Vadh. Now, a revolution will happen here.”

Meanwhile, two separate invitation cards were printed for this ceremony. The first invitation stated that the groundbreaking ceremony for the ‘modern shelters’ being constructed at Dhaneshwar Mahadev Temple complex by the Dhaneshwar Gaushala Trust, based on the vision of the late Laxmanbhau Jagtap, would be grandly performed by BJP city president Shankarbhau Jagtap and MLA Ashwinita Jagtap. The invitees included the Gaushala Trust and all residents of Chinchwadgaon. 

The second invitation mentioned the groundbreaking ceremony for the development of the garden funded by the MLA. The invitation featured photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with all BJP leaders, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the Jagtap family. The invitation noted the Bharatiya Janata Party as the host. This being part of the election campaign, many villagers objected to it.