'Incident Similar To Godhra May Occur...': Uddhav Draws Parallels To 2002 Riots For Ram Temple Inauguration Event

Thackeray made this statement during a speech in Maharashtra's Jalgaon, implying that the government might invite a large number of people to the Ram Temple inauguration using buses and trucks.

File photo of Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray ( Image Source :PTI )

Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray raised concerns on Sunday (September 10), suggesting the possibility of a "Godhra-like" incident occurring during the return journey of attendees 'Karsevaks' expected to gather in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, from across the nation for the Ram Temple inauguration.

The term 'Karsevaks' refers to volunteers who participated in the 'Ram temple movement'. In February 2002, 'Karsevaks' returning from Ayodhya on board the Sabarmati Express were attacked, and their train coach was set on fire at Godhra station in Gujarat. This incident resulted in several casualties and triggered widespread riots across the state.

Thackeray made this statement during a speech in Maharashtra's Jalgaon, implying that the government might invite a large number of people to the Ram Temple inauguration using buses and trucks.

‘वचनपूर्ती‘ जळगावकरांना दिलेल्या शब्दाची!

आज पिंप्राळा येथे छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराजांच्या अश्वारूढ पुतळ्याचे अनावरण करून, पक्षप्रमुख मा. श्री. उद्धवसाहेब ठाकरे ह्यांनी जळगावकरांना दिलेला शब्द पूर्ण केला. ह्यानिमित्त मानराज पार्क मैदान येथे आयोजित ‘वचनपूर्ती’ सभेत ‘देशासाठी आणि… pic.twitter.com/a7vplEeMcZ

— ShivSena - शिवसेना Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (@ShivSenaUBT_) September 10, 2023

"It is a possibility that the government could invite a large number of people for the Ram Temple inauguration in buses and trucks, and on their return journey, an incident similar to that in Godhra may occur," Thackeray said in Jalgaon, some 400 kilometres from Mumbai, as reported by PTI.

It is to be noted that the inauguration of the Ram Temple is expected to take place in January 2024, just months before the Lok Sabha elections.

Thackeray also chastised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for lacking iconic figures for people to admit, according to a PTI report. He charged them with stealing the legacies of leaders such as Sardar Patel and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

वल्लभभाईंची जी उंची आहे त्याच्या आसपास ही तुम्ही पोहचू शकत नाही. तुम्ही कसले पोलादीपुरुष? तुम्ही तर तकलादू पुरुष! pic.twitter.com/bPHfqwUSu0

— ShivSena - शिवसेना Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (@ShivSenaUBT_) September 10, 2023

Thackeray observed that they were now attempting to claim his father, Bal Thackeray's, legacy. He claimed that the BJP and RSS had no notable achievements of their own and emphasised that it was Sardar Patel's accomplishments, not the size of his statue (the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Kevadia, the tallest such structure in the world at 182 metres), that mattered, the report said. 

Thackeray further said that people from the BJP and RSS were a long way from matching Sardar Patel's greatness. This criticism follows the BJP's repeated attacks on Thackeray for deviating from Bal Thackeray's principles in order to become chief minister by forming alliances with the Congress and the NCP after the 2019 Assembly elections.

The attacks became more vehement after the Shiv Sena split in June of last year, with both factions claiming to be the true inheritors of the party's founder's legacy. The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena assert that they are genuine followers of Bal Thackeray's Hindutva ideology.