Uddhav taunts BJP in Ayodhya, demands date for Ram mandir construction
Demanding an ordinance on the temple, Uddhav said he has come to wake Kumbhakarna up.
In Short
- Uddhav Thackeray said he will support ordinance by BJP for Ram Mandir
- Said easier for BJP to bring ordinance because it is in power at both Centre and in UP
- Thackeray is on a two-day visit to Ayodhya to take part in VHP's Dharma Sabha
Comparing the Bharatiya Janata Party government to the mythical demon Kumbhakarna, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who is on a two-day visit to Ayodhya, called for an ordinance for the construction of the Ram Temple.
On Saturday, Thackeray arrived in Faizabad in the afternoon and headed to Laxman Kila, where he took blessings from sadhus and mahants. Thackeray, yet again, launched a scathing attack on the BJP government over the delay in the construction of the temple at Ayodhya. "Every Hindu wants a Ram temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. I have come here to awaken the Kumbhakarna, who slept for six months. Hindutva means keeping your words," said Thackeray in a veiled attack.
"They only say 'mandir wahi banayenge', but they won't tell the date," he said. "Bring in an ordinance for Ram Temple we will support it. I don't want any credit, you take the credit but construct the temple," he added. He presented a silver brick to Mahant Nrityagopaldas Maharaj. On Sunday morning, Thackeray will be visiting the disputed site.
Day, months, years and generations have passed. Mandir wahin baneyange, par date nahin batayenge
First, say when you will construct the temple, the rest we will talk later, he said in what sounded like a dare to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. He said bringing a law on the temple's construction may have been difficult during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's term as it was a coalition government then. "But the current government is strong, and the BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the state. Bring an ordinance or law, the Shiv Sena will support it," he said.
READ| Exclusive: The four-phase plan of RSS for expediting Ram mandir construction
"Ram Temple is a matter concerning faith and the government needs to bring a law before the court verdict", he said, referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land case before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has said it will set the dates for the future course of hearings only in January.
Thackeray recalled former Prime Minister Vajpayee as saying: "Ab Hindu maat nahi khayega (Hindus will not be defeated now) and Hindus will not sit silently."
READ| VHP's Dharma Sabha in Ayodhya to push for Ram temple construction
WATCH| Shiv Sena's Ram Mandir roar: A special ground report from Ayodhya