The Shiv Sena has now said that it will soon announce the date for commencement of Ram temple construction in Ayodhya.
The Shiv Sena has now said that it will soon announce the date for commencement of Ram temple construction in Ayodhya.
The Sena plans to conduct a Ram Rath Yatra in the state from January 23, which is the birth anniversary of the party’s founder Bal Thackeray.
Shiv Sena’s UP chief Anil Singh said that the yatra aims at creating awareness among the people about the delay in temple construction.
“The people have been duped by the false promises made in the name of Ram temple by the BJP. They have been saying that ‘Mandir wahin banaayenge per tareek nahin bataayeng’,” he said.
Mr Singh said that the Shiv Sena would soon announce the exact date when the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya would begin.
About the yatra, Mr Singh said that it would travel through eastern and central UP before reaching western UP. The yatra would be conducted in phases and could continue for several weeks. He said that modalities about the yatra were still being worked out.
Mr Singh said the dates for the construction of the Ram temple would be announced once the yatra is over.
“A Ram temple in Ayodhya is not our agenda but it is our faith. We were actively involved during the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya but felt cheated after the BJP turned the movement into a vote bank issue. We owe it to the people to fulfil the promise we made to them,” said Mr Singh.
The Shiv Sena announcement comes at a time when the RSS and its affiliates have been talking of reviving the temple movement.
VHP general secretary Champat Rai recently made a sudden visit to Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya to inspect the progress of the stone carving work being carried out for the proposed temple.
VHP leaders have been talking about fulfilling the dream of late Ashok Singhal by initiating the groundwork for temple construction.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena, it may be recalled, were active participants in the temple movement and later, the Babri demolition. The two parties are also political allies in Maharashtra though fissures between them keep emerging from time to time.
The Shiv Sena , for years, has been trying to find a foothold in UP politics but could not succeed.
“If the Shiv Sena can perform well in about 100 seats in Bihar, we can show similar results in UP too. We plan to contest two Assembly by-elections in Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar on our own and our MP Sanjay Raut will kick off the campaign on December 23,” Mr Singh said.
