Vikhe Patil's comments came on a day when the Ahmednagar district administration said it had invited the protesters and the shrine authorities to discuss the centuries-old ban on female devotees entering the sacred platform.
"Women should be freely allowed to go to the chauthara. I have welcomed (Maharashtra) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' statement that women should be allowed (to offer prayers). In fact, when I got married, I went to the 'chauthara' with my wife and father," Vikhe Patil told reporters at Shirdi.
On January 26, at least 400 women volunteers, mainly hailing from Pune, led by Trupti Desai of Bhumata Brigade made an unsuccessful attempt to storm the 'chauthara' of the temple when police stopped the marchers at Supa village, 70 km from the shrine.
The marchers were detained there for a few hours before being released and sent back to Pune on buses.
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The women protested against the police action and raised slogans. They had even laid down on the road, crying "it is a black day for women on Republic Day".
"Indian culture and Hindu religion gives women the right to pray. A change in yesterday's traditions is our culture. Discrimination in praying is not in our culture. The temple authorities should resolve the issue through dialogue," he had said.