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Invoking gods for rains

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, JUNE 21. Despite the signature entry of the monsoon to the State a week ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government here kept its word with the rain gods as it went ahead today with the scheduled programme of propitiating the divine forces for good showers during the season.

Even as the main Opposition, the Congress, whose Government had faced four continuous years of drought while in power in the immediate past, termed the whole exercise as a "diversionary tactic'', the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, herself was present in the afternoon at the Mata Shakti Peeth in Jodhpur district's Osian town.

The Raje Government planned the event in such a way that gods of all the leading religions had their share of homage during the day. At each of the places a Minister was present. A special "ziyarat'' was offered at the shrine of Kwaja Moinuddhin Chisti in Ajmer while prayers were held at the Cathedral Church in the same town. The Dargah event was attended by, Yunus Khan, the lone Muslim member in the Raje's Council of Ministers, while at the Cathedral, the Minister of State for Panchayat, Kalulal, was the Government representative.

A "Shabad kirtan'' by 11 Ragis was organized at the Gurdwara Budha Johad in Sriganganagar district. The Minister of State for Agriculture, Surendra Pal Singh, was present at the "kirtan'' since 10.30 AM. At the Hindu temples "rudrabhishek'' formed the main part of the divine invocation. The Home Minister, Gulab Chand Kataria joined the "pujaris'' praying for the blessings of Indra, the rain god at the Nakhoda Bhairuji temple in Western Rajasthan's Barmer.

At Jaipur's well- known Shiv temple, Jharkhand Mahadev, the high- profile Education Minister, Ghan Shyam Tiwari, joined the 44 specially selected "pundits'' for the ceremony. Mr.Tiwari on the occasion noted that the State suffered from continuous drought during the previous Congress Government as it did not initiate any religious programmes. The tenure of the Vice- President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, as Chief Minister found a few such offerings while the Congress Chief Minister, the late Harideo Joshi, too had made "maha abhisheks'' to the god when the going was none too good.

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