Raut announces Uddhav’s visit to Ayodhya after completion of 100 days in office

Mumbai: Alarmed over Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) trying to appropriate its Hindutva card and in a bid to blunt it, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday announced that Sena president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya after completion of his 100 days in office. The announcement comes just a day ahead of the grand Maha Adhiveshan of the MNS on January 23, in which the party seeks to saffronize itself and re-brand itself as the champion of the Hindutva cause.

In a tweet, Raut recalled the Sena’s ‘Chalo Ayodhya’ slogan it had coined before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He tweeted “Chalo Ayodhya! CM #Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya on completion of 100 days in power @OfficeofUT”. Speaking to a news agency, he went on to extend the invitation to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar  to accompany Uddhav Thackeray on his proposed Ayodhya visit.

It may be recalled that after the 2019 Assembly election results were announced, Thackeray had cancelled his Ayodhya visit citing security related issues. Thackeray who took oath as the 19^th Chief Minister of Maharashtra on November 28, 2019. The Thackeray headed Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will complete its 100 days in office in March.

Raut while extending the invitation to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar remarked “we want that our alliance leaders should also come along. Rahul Gandhi also visits several temples”. In another tweet, he added “our government has begun performing its duties in great vigor. We shall complete five years in office. After government completes 100 days. CM Uddhav Thackeray shall go to Ayodhya. After seeking blessings of Lord Ram, will decide on future course of action”.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi reacted wanting to know whether Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will also take Congress leaders along with him to Ayodhya. She further remarked “how the alliance partners of the Sena react, how will he show his face to them – to the ones who questioned the very existence of Lord Ram, even went to the Supreme Court stating the same”.

It may be recalled that in June 2019, after the Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav Thackeray accompanied by Aditya Thackeray and 18 of the Sena Lok Sabha MP’s had visited Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram. He had then demanded that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government construct the Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya at the earliest. He said that the whole Hindu community was backing the government on the issue.

Ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections, the Sena president had declared that a Shivsainik will cast the first brick in the foundation for the Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya. He had then remarked that late Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray had taken the responsibility for the demolition of the disputed Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Stating that these things were going for long since 1990-92, he wanted to know of the Center as to how long should the people wait for the construction of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Prior to the Lok Sabha elections last year, Thackeray had visited the holy temple town in Uttar Pradesh on November 24, 2018. He had then gone on a two day visit to the temple town accompanied by his wife and son and several senior Sena leaders. In November last year he however cancelled his Ayodhya visit due to the delays in government formation.

Sources argued that much water has flown now in the Sarayu river since the last visit of Thackeray. Earlier, he had gone to Ayodhya while he was still the part of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Now, the Sena has left the NDA fold and joined hands with the Congress and NCP alliance. The Supreme Court has in its judgment paved the way for the construction of the temple. It remains to be seen as to how the Saint community in Ayodhya receives Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray this time around in a new Avatar.