Home Minister Amit Shah attends Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities at CM Eknath Shinde's residence

Pic/CMO

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde's official residence 'Varsha' in Mumbai on Monday to take 'darshan' of Lord Ganesha amid the Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities.

CM"s daughter-in-law Vrushali welcomed the Home Minister at Varsha for the Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities. Home Minister Amit Shah performed the 'aarti' of Lord Ganesha.

CM Shinde's son and Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Shrikant felicitated Union Minister Amit Shah with a shawl and a coconut. He was also gifted a copy of the book 'Shasan Aplya Dari' and an idol of Lord Ganpati.

State Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Ministers Deepak Kesarkar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, former Union Minister of State Raosaheb Danve, legislator Chandrasekhar Bawankule and other dignitaries were also present at Varsha for the Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut voiced strong objections over the arrival of the Union Home Minister and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officials in Mumbai. Shah is on a two-day visit on Monday. Raut's comments were directed at BJP and its leadership, accusing them of undermining Mumbai's identity and interests, reported news agency ANI.

"We do fear that these BJP leaders will continue to undermine Mumbai politically as well as financially. There has been a constant attempt to shift good things, such as organisations and institutions, from Mumbai to Gujarat. The International Financial Services Centre, which was supposed to be in Mumbai, has been shifted to Gujarat," he said. "We are against such policies of these BJP leaders," the Sena (UBT) lawmaker said on Monday.

Speaking about Shah's frequent visits to Lalbaugcha Raja, a key location in Mumbai known for its Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities, celebrations. Raut said, "Amit Shah is the Home Minister of the country. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is everything. He comes to Lalbaugcha Raja often. People from all over the country come to see the Lalbaugcha Raja, and they should come too. But the way the wealth of the King of Lalbaug is increasing... just a day before yesterday, I saw that an industrialist gave him a gold crown worth Rs 17 crore."

The Shiv Sena leader added, "The prestige of the God does not increase because of the faith of the devotees who come. God is God regardless of whether gold, silver, money, or anything else is given. He does not become God by receiving anything, but people do all this with faith."

(With ANI inputs)