Chicken Masala Packet Gifts Cause Outrage At Pandharpur

The reputed housekeeping giant, BVG Group, is finding itself in the eye of a storm following its distribution of chicken masala packets as Diwali gifts to employees at the Vitthal temple in Pandharpur, the most important pilgrimage sanctum sanctorum for innumerable devotees. While the BVG management is yet to come out with a response, the Vitthal temple authorities have condemned the act and indicated that reviewing the vendor contract is an option for them. BVG India Ltd is a large integrated facility management company. Founded in 1993 by struggler Hanmantrao Ramdas Gaikwad, it has grown from a social enterprise to become India’s largest company in its field. It provides services such as solid waste management, emergency response and renewable energy solutions. BVG serves a wide range of sectors including government, metro rail, IT and has a trained workforce of over 100,000. BVG also provides staff for the Vitthal temple. The personnel received chicken masala packets as Diwali gifts. This triggered off a wave of anger because the Warkari sect is strictly vegetarian. Hence a non-vegetarian gift appeared as an assault on religious sentiments. was seen as a religious trespass. Minister for Cultural Affairs Ashish Shelar has ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident. The temple’s executive officer Rajendra Shelke has served a legal notice against the firm. He took preventive steps as soon as the outrage became known. Similarly, the firm stopped the distribution of the offending packets. Shelke insisted that the temple’s sanctity is the foremost and it is everybody’s sacred duty to preserve it.