Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday sharpened his attack against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the controversy around the invitation for the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, saying it seems “they have kidnapped Lord Ram”.
Raut has claimed that Shiv Sena (UBT) was not invited to the Ram Temple consecration ceremony scheduled for January 22.
“There is BJP government in UP and at the Centre. It seems like they have kidnapped Lord Ram. Are we waiting for the invitation? When the BJP event is over, we will go to visit Ram Lalla,” the Rajya Sabha member told reporters.
On Tuesday, Raut said there was no need for an invitation to party chief Uddhav Thackeray to visit Ayodhya for the ceremony as Shiv Sena has an old association with the UP town, unlike BJP. Raut claimed when the BJP blamed the Shiv Sena for pulling down Babri masjid in 1992, Sena founder Bal Thackeray took responsibility for it.
“When the Ayodhya movement was going on, those who consider themselves warriors today ran away from there and at that time Balasaheb Thackeray came forward and said I am proud of Shiv Sainiks who have done this work for Ram Temple. Those who contributed in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement include former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Balasaheb Thackeray, former VHP president Ashok Singhal, Uma Bharati, Vinay Katiyar and Shrish Chandra Dikshit,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has expressed his disappointment for not being invited to the event, accusing BJP of playing politics in the name of Ram Mandir.
“I have not been invited to the inauguration of Ram Mandir, I have some places of faith, I go there. The question of going to a religious place is personal. I am not saying that openly. BJP is doing politics or business in the name of Ram temple, I don’t know,” said Pawar.
“The ruling party does not have any concrete program to garner people’s support, so it seems they are trying to create a different opinion among the people by using Ram Mandir as an excuse,” added Pawar.
