Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya next Sunday, a day before the monsoon session of Parliament begins, the party's spokesperson Sanjay Raut confirmed this evening. The plan had been under consideration for a few days now for Mr Thackeray and the 18 newly-elected parliamentarians from the Sena to visit Ayodhya, which is in the news over the Ram temple dispute.
Uddhav Thackeray, an active proponent of constructing the Ram temple at the site where the 14th Century Babri Masjid once stood, had last visited Ayodhya in November for a mega-event organised by several Hindu groups. The regional party's alliance with the BJP was under strain then, and it had factored in his speech at the event.
The Shiv Sena chief was particularly critical of the Narendra Modi-led central government over the delay in constructing the Ram temple. "If it can demonetise currency notes instantly, why can't it build the temple? Now tell me the date," he had demanded.
Things, however, changed after the BJP agreed to a 50-50 seat sharing deal with Mr Thackeray's party in Maharashtra. Their differences buried, the alliance went on to win 41 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the general elections, with the Shiv Sena alone making an impressive haul of 18.
A week after the election results were announced, the Shiv Sena said in a Saamna article that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's massive victory was also the people's mandate in favour of the Ram temple. "A party with the mindset of Lord Ram has come to power at the centre. Crores of people have voted them to power so that Ram Rajya can be established in the country," it read.
Right-wing activists demolished the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
(With inputs from agencies)
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