Left BJP, not Hindutva: Uddhav

Tribune News Service

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Lucknow/Mumbai, March 7

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he might have parted ways with the BJP, but not with Hindutva. During his visit to Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram on the completion of his 100 days in office, he said, “The BJP is not Hindutva. The BJP and Hindutva are different. BJP does not mean Hindutva.” His comments drew criticism from the BJP’s Maharashtra unit that questioned his silence over certain issues.

Besides, he announced a donation of Rs 1 crore from his Trust to the newly created Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. This was his third Ayodhya visit in an year. “I am here to seek the blessing of Ram Lalla. I have with me today several members of my bhagwa (saffron) family. It is my third visit during the last 1.5 years. Every time I come, I feel rewarded,” he said.

“I have come to know that the bank account of the Trust became operational yesterday. I will request the esteemed persons associated with the Trust to accept this humble contribution,” he said.

The Maharashtra CM also appealed to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath for a piece of land in Ayodhya so that his government could build a Maharashtra ‘bhawan’ for the convenience of Ram bhakts (devotees) from the state, visiting the holy city.

He recalled the time when his father had visited Ayodhya, and also that bricks with Sri Ram inscribed had come from villages of Maharashtra for the construction of temple.

Expressing regret for not being able to participate in the Saryu aarti (worshipping) like last time, Thackeray said that due to the worldwide terror of Covid, he had decided to stay away from crowds but promised to return soon.

Earlier, he visited the makeshift Ram Mandir and the Hanumangarhi besides interacting with Ayodhya saints.

Meanwhile, the BJP hit out at Uddhav over his comment that the Shiv Sena hadn’t walked away from the Hindutva ideology. The Maharashtra BJP asked why he and his party were silent on certain issues such as comments of Congress leaders berating Vinayak Damodar Savarkar? “Why did you keep quiet when a bust of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was removed by the (Congress-led) Madhya Pradesh government?” the state BJP asked on Twitter.

Taking potshots at him, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said Lord Ram had given blessings to the ex-allies (BJP and Sena) together, and not to current ruling parties (Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP).

(With inputs from PTI)

Ram Lalla in fibre abode from March 24

Lucknow: To facilitate the uninterrupted ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla during the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the present idol in the makeshift-tented temple would be shifted to a fibre temple on March 24 where ‘darshan’ would begin on March 25, the first day of Navratra. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai said Ram Lalla would be taken back to ‘garbha-greh’ once the temple construction is completed. TNS

Three seers placed under house arrest in Ayodhya

Ayodhya: The Ayodhya administration on Saturday put three Hindu seers under house arrest for threatening to greet the Uddhav Thackery with black flags, the police said. Ayodhya SSP Ashish Tiwari said Hanumangarhi Temple Mahant Raju Das, Tapaswi Chhawni Temple Mahant Paramhans Das and Hindu Mahasabha president Rakesh Dutt Mishra accused Uddhav of forming government in Maharashtra with the help of those who had dubbed Lord Ram as an imaginary figure. PTI