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Aditya Thackeray’s first solo visit to Ayodhya on June 15
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut reaches temple town; Shiv Saniks to arrive there by three trains on Tuesday
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut reached Ayodhya on Monday to oversee preparations for the June 15 visit of Maharashtra tourism and environment minister Aditya Thackeray there.
Shiv Saniks, who left for Ayodhya by three special trains on Monday from Thane, Mumbai and Nasik districts of Maharashtra, will reach there on Tuesday.
Aditya Thackeray will reach Lucknow on June 15 from where he will travel to Ayodhya by road for his daylong visit to the temple town. He will pay obeisance to Ram Lalla, Lord Hanuman at Hanuman Garhi temple and will also attend Saryu arti on bank of river Saryu on Wednesday.
A team of Shiv Sena leaders led by Sanjay Raut reached Ayodhya on Monday to oversee the preparations for the high-profile visit. This will be Aditya Thackeray’s third visit to Ayodhya. He has accompanied his father Udhav Thackeray to Ayodhya on two occasions—November 24, 2018 and March 7, 2020. However, Aditya’s June 15 visit to Ayodhya will be solo. Shiv Sena president Udhay Thackeray is the chief minister of Maharashtra.
Political analysts see Aditya Thackeray’s visit to Ayodhya as an effort by Shiv Sena to prepare the young scion of the Thackeray family for a bigger political battle. The visit comes at a time when the Shiv Sena party is being targeted by the BJP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on the issue of Hindutva.
Aditya Thackeray’s uncle and MNS chief Raj Thackeray was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on June 5. But the visit was cancelled due to health reasons. Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Gonda district, had been at the forefront of those opposing Raj Thackeray’s Ayodhya visit. Singh had demanded Raj Thackeray to apologise to North Indians for opposing them in the past.
