A few days back, President of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Prakash Ambedkar, raised concerns with regards to the temples being closed in the state, due to the coronavirus lockdown. He staged a protest with regards to allowing him to seek blessings at Pandharpur, after which he was given the permission to enter the temple.
Following this, President of the Republican Party of India and Union Minister of State for Social Justice, Ramdas Athavale, has also spoken regarding the religious places being shut amidst the lockdown. As per reports, Vitthal Rukmini Temple Committee has decided to keep the temple closed till September 30, and other religious places of all religions such as temples, mosques, churches, Derasar, Gurudwaras, Buddha Vihars, were also following similar rules.
However, the leaders stated that these should be reopened by September 8, 2020, and strict precautions should be taken to ensure rules are followed amidst the pandemic. Ramdas Athawale further warned that if the government does not listen to this demand, party members under his leadership, will stage a protest on September 9. He took to Twitter to share the news on August 31, 2020.
A few days back, more than a thousand people joined the protest led by Prakash Ambedkar, in front of the Vitthal Temple in Pandharpur demanding that all religious places should reopen in the state. However, this was soon called off after receiving assurances from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that religious places would be started within a week.
He further stated that the people should not be scared of coronavirus infection, and in turn, should be aware of it, so as to take care. While people have broken the rules at the protest, he said that this movement was planned with the same motive. He further stated that daily commute on public transport should also start, as this would help people get rid of the fear.
Data released by the state health department showed that as of September 1, 2020, Maharashtra has more than eight lakh coronavirus cases, with Mumbai, Pune and Thane districts with the most number of cases.
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