Hours before Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Ayodhya on Sunday, June 16, party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, the Ram temple would be constructed at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
Raut also said that the BJP won with a huge majority in the Lok Sabha elections for the construction o the Ram temple.
"We don't want to take any credit for the construction of Ram temple. Earlier also we had said that it would be constructed under the leadership of Modi and Yogi. The majority in 2019 polls for the BJP led NDA is for the construction of Ram temple," Raut told news agency ANI.
Uddhav Thackeray will offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 8 newly inducted party MPs. This will be his first visit to the temple after the results of the just-concluded general elections. Thackeray will also address a press conference later in the day.
Last Friday, Adityanath visited Ayodhya to offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple.
However, senior party leader Raut said that Thackeray was visiting Ayodhya as he promised during his last visit to the disputed site. "Uddhav Thackeray is coming to Ayodhya on Sunday. This time, the atmosphere is better. Earlier, the atmosphere was tense," Raut added. He went on to say that Ram temple issue is not a political issue but a matter of faith.
It was on November last year that Thackeray last visited Ayodhya had asked the BJP-led Modi government to announce a date for the construction of Ram temple. Thackeray had promised full support if an ordinance was brought for the purpose, Raut said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra will be going to polls later this year. However, Thackeray's visit is an attempt by the Shiv Sena to put pressure on its ally BJP.
