His visit comes at a time when the BJP, Shiv Sena’s former ally, has been questioning the party’s commitment to Hindutva. Earlier, head of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Raj Thackeray had announced his visit to Ayodhya on June 5, but was cancelled later.
“My visit to Ayodhya is no politics. I have come here to seek the blessings of Lord Ram,” Thackeray told the media.
“Ayodhya is the centre of faith in India. In 2018, we gave this slogan – first temple, then government. After Shiv Sena’s slogan, the way for the construction of the temple was cleared. Now, Ram temple is being built on the orders of the Supreme Court,” he said.
“We will pray to Lord Rama to give us the strength to serve the people better,” he said.
Thackeray said talks will be held with the Uttar Pradesh government seeking land in Ayodhya to establish Maharashtra Sadan.
On his first visit to Ayodhya, Thackeray will also hold a meeting with party functionaries besides participating in an ‘aarti’ at the banks of River Sarayu later in the day.
Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, arrived in Lucknow at around 11 am from where he reached Ayodhya by road.
According to party officials, over 1,000 Shiv Sainiks reached the temple town during Thackeray’s visit. Senior party leaders Sanjay Raut and Eknath Shinde had reached here on Tuesday to oversee the arrangements for Thackeray’s visit.
He largely refrained from making any comment on political developments. However, on
queries by the media about the Enforcement Directorate grilling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Thackeray remarked, “All the central agencies have become prachar sahitya (advertisement literature).”