Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) MP Sanjay Raut said that the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya is all politics and it is not a national event. He further stated that it is Bharatiya Janata Party's rally and members of Shiv Sena (UBT) will visit Ayodhya after saffron Party's program.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Sanjay Raut said, "...This is all politics, who wants to attend an event by BJP? This is not a national event. This is BJP's program, this is BJP's rally. 'Usme pavitrata kahan hai?'...We will visit (Ayodhya) after BJP's program is over."
Reacting to the BJP asking for Shiv Sena (UBT's) contribution to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement Raut alleged that those people for whom India was formed after 2014 did not know the history of Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
"Ram Temple is not a matter of politics, it is a matter of faith, identity and reverence. Thousands of voluntary labourers were martyred in the construction of the Ram temple. Some people for whom India was formed after 2014 do not know the history. These people have neither been in the freedom struggle nor in any major movement or struggle, so they do not know about the struggle for Ram Mandir. We are not fugitives, we stood firm in the field and fought till the end for temple construction," Sanjay Raut said, as quoted by ANI.
Raut further stated that thousands of volunteers lost their lives during the movement and the Saryu river had turned red. "Ram Janmabhoomi movement started before 2014 and the present BJP government does not have any idea about the contribution of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray in the movement," he added.