Modi Govt May Not Last If Ram Mandir Is Not Built, Says Uddhav Thackeray After Offering Prayers At Ayodhya

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the BJP government at the Centre "may not last" if the Ram Temple is not constructed at Ayodhya and demanded that an ordinance be brought in to pave for its way, warning that emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted.

The Shiv Sena chief, who offered prayers at the Ram Lalla temple, said "days, years and generations are passing by but the temple has not being constructed".

Noting that Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and only one session of Parliament remains, he asked the government to bring an ordinance.

"Shiv Sena has been supporting (them) on the issue of Hindutva and will continue to do so. Bring ordinance or a law but construct temple ...the emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted," he told reporters in Ayodhya.

Thackeray said Hindus are today asking when will the temple be made while maintaining that his visit to Ayodhya is neither for political purposes nor is there any hidden agenda.

"I am only asking (BJP) that when you were campaigning for elections you said all possibilities will be explored under the Constitution ...what has been done in four years ..when will you explore possibilities," he asked.

The Sena chief said that if the temple is not made perhaps this government will also not last but the temple will definitely be made.

Mounting an attack on Yogi Adityanath, he said the chief minister said there was a Ram temple in Ayodhya and will remain "but when will it be visible... it should be constructed as the earliest."

Thackeray also said that the Ram Temple issue should not be politicised.

"Chunav prachar ke dauran is mudde ka istemal na karein..hinduo ki bhavna se khilwad na karein (This issue (Ram Temple) should not be used in election campaigning..don't take the emotions of Hindus for granted)", he said.

The town has turned into a virtual fortress with multiple layers of security and deployment of drones as people began arriving here for Sunday’s Dharam Sabha, being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to push for the construction of the Ram temple.

The VHP has claimed three lakh people, including seers, will attend its public meeting.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya Sunday disapproved of the Shiv Sena's push for constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying the party had no role in the temple movement.

Maurya's remarks came a day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray asked the BJP-led NDA government to declare a date for the construction of the Ram temple.

"There is no problem in Uddhav Thackeray catching a glimpse of Ram Lalla... But, had Balasaheb Thackeray been alive, he would have prevented Uddhav from doing whatever he is doing,” Maurya told PTI on the phone.

“The Shiv Sena had no role in the temple movement or even in the Dharam Sabha, though Balasaheb Thackeray would support the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,” he said.

He said Uddhav Thackeray should take the VHP, "which is leading such a large-scale movement, along with his party. There is no point creating a divide".

The deputy chief minister, who was part of the VHP during the Ram temple movement, said, “The devotees of Lord Ram know who can actually make a sacrifice now and who had made a sacrifice earlier.”

Maurya also denounced Akhilesh Yadav's statement that the Army must be deployed for the Dharam Sabha, saying the remarks showed the Samajwadi Party chief's frustration.

Referring to the firing on the Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya in 1990, he said, "If Akhilesh Yadav is thinking that a 1990-like situation will prevail, then this will not happen under the government headed by Yogi Adityanath. We will provide adequate security to all and take necessary action."

"This is a Dharam Sabha, and there is no need to deploy the Army, and Akhilesh Yadav must understand this," the UP deputy chief minister said.

Asked about a section of the Muslim community feeling apprehensive about the event, he said, "No one needs to fear (anything). There is peace in Uttar Pradesh. The government has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that no untoward incident takes place."

Maurya said, “A large section of the Muslim community wants a temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi. However, some political parties that indulge in appeasement politics are trying their best to create hindrances."

“The BJP supports the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, and it has assumed the shape of a national movement. For the BJP, Ram temple has never been an election issue, but has been a matter of faith and devotion. There is no point in deriving any electoral mileage from this issue,” he added.

The UP’s deputy chief minister also made it clear that no mosque, memorial or tomb (maqbara) in the name of Babar will be allowed to come up at Ram Janmabhoomi.

Asked about a date for the construction of Ram temple, Maurya said, “Till the time the matter is pending in the Supreme Court, neither the BJP nor other organizations associated with the temple movement can tell the dates. This is the job of the VHP, the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and the seers. The BJP will lend its moral support to this movement.”

PTI