Kolkata, February 17
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake a brief visit to the ISKCON temple at Mayapur in West Bengal on Wednesday to attend a religious programme, with no political events included in his itinerary, according to BJP sources.
The visit, described as devotional in nature, will be one of Shah’s shortest trips to the state in recent months, lasting around two hours at the temple complex in Nadia district, sources said.
Mayapur is the global headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
As per the tentative schedule, Shah is expected to arrive at Kolkata airport in the afternoon and travel to Mayapur by helicopter.
After landing at the helipad here, he will proceed to the temple premises in a golf cart amid devotional chanting and ceremonial reception by temple authorities and students of the Vedic gurukul, the sources added.
Inside the temple complex, the minister will pay floral tributes to A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, and participate in rituals including offerings at the shrines of Lord Narasimha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Radha-Madhav, before attending the main programme.
He is scheduled to address the gathering during the event commemorating a spiritual leader’s birth anniversary. Organisers have indicated that the function is religious and cultural in nature, with a large number of devotees expected to attend.
BJP leaders said no political meetings or rallies have been planned during the tour, putting to rest speculation about possible political engagements during his visit ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections. However, several senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit, along with local organisational leadership, are expected to accompany him at the temple.
Shah is likely to leave Mayapur by late afternoon and return to Kolkata airport before departing for New Delhi, sources said.
PTI
