Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said that nobody did anything for the Ram Mandir but only Prime Minister Narendra Modi did. Addressing a press conference in Ayodhya after he visited the Ram Temple, Shinde said that the “construction of the divine temple was the dream of millions of Ram devotees.”
“Construction of a grand divine Ram temple in Ayodhya was the dream of millions of Ram devotees' which has been made true by the PM,” said Shinde who was also accompanied by his deputy Devendra Fadnavis during the Ram Temple visit.
“Nobody did anything for the Ram Mandir, only PM Modi did...He has fulfilled Balasaheb Thackeray's dream of Ram Mandir,” he added.
Targeting the Opposition, the Maharashtra CM said that some people were “not happy with our Ayodhya visit because they have an allergy to Hindutva.”
“This Ayodhya visit will be a pleasure to many but there are some people who have an allergy to Hindutva. Some people were purposely spreading rumours about Hindutva,” he said adding that hindutva is a life system and “Ram Mandir was not a political issue for BJP and Shiv Sena but a matter of faith and belief.”
Speaking on getting the legacy bow and arrow symbol of Shiv Sena to his faction, Shinde said, “After becoming CM, I came here for the first time. With the blessings of Lord Ram, we got our symbol of bow and arrow and the name of our party.”
Applauding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Shinde said there’s a “stark difference between the old Uttar Pradesh and the new Uttar Pradesh.”
“The common man is very happy in UP, roads have been improved, there are lights everywhere, and industries are coming to the state,” he said.
“He (Yogi Adityanath) is called ‘bulldozer baba’, goons are scared of him,” he added.