Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), stated on Saturday that he has not yet received the invitation to the January 22 consecration of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Additionally, Thackeray emphasised that he would visit the Uttar Pradesh temple town whenever he felt like it and that Ram Lalla belongs to everyone, so he doesn’t need an official invitation.
For the grand occasion, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been inviting several well-known individuals and national political figures.
Speaking with reporters, Thackeray claimed that the Ram Janmabhoomi movement had been the subject of a protracted battle by the Shiv Sena. He added that Bal Thackeray, the founder of the Sena and his father, had his voting rights “snatched” because he supported Hindutva and the Ram Temple in a by-election.
“I have not received any invitation yet and I don’t need one to visit Ayodhya as Ram Lalla belongs to everyone. Whenever I feel like it, I will go. Shiv Sena had contributed a lot to the Ram temple movement,” said Thackeray, a member of the opposition INDIA bloc.
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Thackeray recalled having gone to Ayodhya even during his tenure as Maharashtra’s chief minister.
“I only expect that political event shouldn’t be made out of it (the consecration ceremony),” he said, hinting at the Bharatiya Janata Party. No one person owns Lord Ram. For countless numbers of people, this is a matter of faith.
Additionally, he stated that the Supreme Court’s ruling cleared the path for the construction of the Ram temple and that the Centre played no part in it.
Also read: Inaugural run: Children, and teachers among passengers of Ayodhya-Dharbhanga Amrit Bharat Exp
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend the consecration ceremony.
(Source: PTI)
