Uddhav Thackeray, son Aditya visits Ayodhya; Offer prayers at makeshift Ram Temple

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with 18 newly elected party MPs and his son Aditya Thackeray visited Ayodhya today, making a fresh pitch for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site there.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray leaves after offering prayer at Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya. His son Aditya Thackeray, & Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also present. (Twitter)

New Delhi: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with 18 newly elected party MPs and his son Aditya Thackeray visited Ayodhya today, making a fresh pitch for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site there. Thackeray, who reached Ayodhya this morning along with his son Aditya, first met party MPs, who were there since Saturday evening, and then paid obeisance at the makeshift Ram temple. He is scheduled to address a press conference later in the day and will then leave for Mumbai. This is Thackeray's first visit to Ayodhya after the Lok Sabha results last month. He had visited Ayodhya in November last year.

|| जय श्री राम || #ShivSenaInAyodhya pic.twitter.com/lkZGEsXWrH

— ShivSena - शिवसेना (@ShivSena) June 16, 2019

Talking to reporters on Saturday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, "Uddhav Thackeray and our MPs are coming to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the makeshift Ram temple. For us, Ayodhya and Ram temple are not subjects of politics, but a matter of faith and religion. We have never sought votes in the name of the temple and will never do so." Raut further said that Thackeray had promised to visit Ayodhya with his MPs after elections and he was simply fulfilling the promise. MPs will return to Mumbai after offering prayers at the temple.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray leaves after offering prayer at Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya. His son Aditya Thackeray, & Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also present. pic.twitter.com/xxyO7u42zR

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 16, 2019

UP Chief Minister Adityanath visited Ayodhya last Friday to offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla (or infant Ram) temple. His visit, the first after the Lok Sabha election results, was apparently aimed at reiterating support for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. Earlier on Saturday, Raut had said Ram temple will be constructed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modia and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Thackeray is fulfilling the promise he made in November that he would visit again after elections and asserted that his party has "not sought votes in the name of Ram and will not do so in future", the Shiv Sena MP added. The Shiv Sena had earlier announced that Thackeray and the newly elected MPs would visit Ayodhya before the beginning of the Parliament session on Monday. However, the party's state unit chief Anil Singh said the visit should not been seen from the electoral lens and it was "a matter of devotion and faith". Notably, Maharashtra will be going to the polls later in the year. When asked about the purpose of the visit, Singh said, "Before the Lok Sabha elections, Uddhavji went to a number of religious places for darshan. Now, after the party performed well in the polls and is a part of the NDA government, he is going there to offer prayers." Singh termed Thackeray's proposed visit as "thanksgiving to Lord Ram" for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and to affirm its "commitment" for a Ram temple in Ayodhya". Ahead of Thackeray's proposed visit to Ayodhya, senior party leader Sanjay Raut had met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on June 10. After meeting Adityanath, Raut had tweeted, "Met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today regarding the proposed Ayodhya yatra of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The talks were held in a positive atmosphere and Yogiji welcomed the yatra of Uddhavji." The Sena MPs' visit is also being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the BJP-led government at the Centre for the construction of a Ram temple. The title suit over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is being heard by the Supreme Court. Soon after the BJP got a second term in the Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had flagged his organisation's insistence on the construction of the temple in Ayodhya . "Ram's work has to be done, and Ram's work will get done," Bhagwat had said in Udaipur in an apparent reference to it. (with inputs from agencies)