Shah offers prayers at Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya Ashram in Chhattisgarh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday offered prayers at Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya Ashram in Champaran town of Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district.

Shah was accompanied by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, and Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal.

Champaran, believed to be the birthplace of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Vallabh sect, is located around 40 km from here.

Officials said Shah offered prayers at Prakatya Baithakji Mandir and Champeshwar Mahadev temple there.

The Union minister, who arrived here on Friday for a three-day visit, will chair a meeting of chief secretaries and director generals of police (DGPs) of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states, almost all having Naxalite presence along interstate borders, at a hotel in Nava Raipur in the afternoon.

He will also have a meeting on security and development in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas of the state.

He will address a press conference at 6 pm, officials said.

This is Shah’s first visit to Chhattisgarh after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government got elected for the third straight term at the Centre.

Anti-Naxalite operations have intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP came to power in the state last year.

As many as 142 Naxalites have been killed by security forces in separate encounters in the state so far this year.