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Ayodhya visit religious, non-political: Aditya Thackeray
On the majestic bank of river Saryu in Ayodhya, Aditya Thackeray performed aarti in the evening with Vedic rituals, including ‘dudh abhishek’, performed with milk and honey.
Lucknow: Maharashtra environment minister Aditya Thackeray on Wednesday paid obeisance to Ram Lalla and dubbed his Ayodhya visit as a purely religious, non-political tour, parrying questions related to Gyanvapi, Mathura and his uncle and MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
On the majestic bank of river Saryu, Aditya Thackeray performed aarti in the evening with Vedic rituals, including ‘dudh abhishek’, performed with milk and honey.
The majestic ghat was decked up with earthen diyas and lights for the special ceremony. A large number of Shiv Sena workers, who had arrived by special trains from Mumbai, were also present.
Earlier in the day, Thackeray visited Ram Janmabhoomi to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla. He performed aarti of Ram Lalla and sought blessings from Acharya Satyendra Das, head priest of Ram Janmabhoomi. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut and other party leaders were also present.
Before visiting Ram Janmabhoomi, Thackeray also went to Hanuman Garhi temple where he met Mahant Gyan Das, former head of Akhara Parishad.
After reaching Ayodhya from Lucknow by road, Thackeray’s first visit was to an ISKCON temple in Ram Nagar area of the city.
“My Ayodhya visit is purely a religious visit. It has nothing to do with politics,” said Aditya Thackeray during his interaction with the media.
When asked about the Gyanvapi and Mathura issues, Thackeray said he would remain confined to Ayodhya only.
Replying to a query related with Hanuman Garhi priest Raju Das opposing his visit, Thackeray said all saints, akharas and people of Ayodhya welcomed him.
He also pointed out that the Maharashtra government wanted land in Ayodhya for constructing Maharashtra Sadan for devotees from that state who came to Ayodhya to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla.
“Maharashtra CM Udhav Thackeray will take up the issue with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister,” said Thackeray.
On the Enforcement Directorate questioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Thackeray termed all central agencies as a tool for advertisement for the Modi government.
Aditya Thackeray’s visit to Ayodhya is being seen as an effort by the Shiv Sena to ward off allegations on going soft 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.
This was Aditya Thackeray’s third visit to Ayodhya. He had accompanied his father Udhav Thackeray to Ayodhya on two occasions,November 24, 2018 and March 7, 2020. However, Aditya’s Wednesday visit to Ayodhya was solo.
After Saryu aarti, Thackeray left for Lucknow by road from where he boarded a flight for Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Raju Das, a priest of Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya, opposed Aditya Thackeray’s visit.
“Aditya Thackeray is most welcome in Ayodhya. But the question is about Shiv Sena’s reaction on the issue of loudspeakers and Hanuman Chalisa in Maharashtra,” said Das.
“In Maharashtra, people are sent to jail for 14 days for reciting Hanuman Chalisa. What message does Aditya Thackeray want to give from Ayodhya?” Raju Das asked.
“In Maharashtra Shiv Sena does something else while outside it is different,” he said.
He compared Shiv Sena with Kalanemi, a demon mentioned in Hindu epic Ramayana and advised people to be cautious of this party.
Das dubbed Thackeray’s Ayodhya visit as a political stunt.
