Siddhivinayak trust chief gets junior minister status

MUMBAI: Aadesh Bandekar, an actor, Uddhav Thackeray acolyte and chairman of the Siddhivinayak temple trust, has been given status of minister of state by the Fadnavis regime. He is the second chairman of a temple in the state to be accorded the status. Atul Bhosale, president of the Pandharpur's Vithal-Rukmini Temple Samiti, got MoS status in May.

Bandekar, 52, is a secretary in the Sena and known to be close to Matoshree. The law and judiciary department headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis issued a government resolution (GR) on Monday, which could be seen as an attempt to mend ties with Sena.

The BJP-Sena government had accorded minister of state status to party whips in the upper and lower houses of the state legislature.

Despite the status, the GR bars him from using a red beacon and national flag on his vehicle. Bandekar who started as a TV host, joined Sena in 2009. Soon, he become a trusted associate of Uddhav. When he formally joined the party, it fielded him from the Marathi-dominated Dadar assembly constituency where he was defeated by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's Nitin Sardesai.

Reacting to the decision to upgrade him, Bandekar told TOI the temple management was controlled by the state. "I am doing my job as a public service and will continue it. The elevation does not entail new administrative powers," said Bandekar, thanking Uddhav Thackeray in the same breath.

According to the GR, the trust chairman will get Rs7,500 as monthly honorarium, an allowance of Rs500 for attending meetings, and Rs3,000 as telephone allowance will be reimbursed. If the trust committee provides for a chauffeur-driven car for the chairman, an annual expenditure of up to Rs72,000 will be reimbursed, The chairman will not be entitled to a bodyguard, police guard at residence, telephone operator, escort or salute from police on duty, stated the GR.

There are other big temple trusts, such as Shirdi Saibaba, Tulzapur, Kolhapur, and others most of which are headed by politicians. Madhya Pradesh had accorded similar status to godmen, including the late Bhayyuji Maharaj, Narmad Anand Maharaj, Hariharanand Maharaj, Computer Baba and Pandit Yogendra Maharaja.