Aaditya Thackeray announces Ayodhya visit amid rising Hindutva politics

Mumbai: As the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) upped the ante on Hindutva by raking up issues about the loudspeakers at the mosques and reciting Hanuman Chalisa, Shiv Sena on Saturday announced that the state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray would visit Ayodhya in the first week of May

Mumbai: As the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) upped the ante on Hindutva by raking up issues about the loudspeakers at the mosques and reciting Hanuman Chalisa, Shiv Sena on Saturday announced that the state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray would visit Ayodhya in the first week of May.

Aaditya Thackeray said the dates will be announced soon. (HT PHOTO)

Aaditya Thackeray said the dates will be announced soon. “I will soon visit Ayodhya and seek blessings. It would be a one-day visit, and I would be going in the first week of May. The dates will be announced soon,” he said.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray had earlier said that he would visit Ayodhya soon. In a veiled jibe, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that some people had taken Hindutva on rent.

Speaking to reporters in Nashik, Raut said that the Nashik unit of the Sena had organised the Ayodhya tour considering the Nashik civic polls but the elections have been deferred further.

“The scale of the event has grown to such an extent that we decided to go to Ayodhya under the leadership of Aaditya Thackeray. So, I told him about it, and he immediately agreed. Aaditya said that he will attend the event on the banks of the Sarayu River,” said Raut.

Taking a dig at Raj Thackeray, Raut said that the Sena leaders have been visiting Ayodhaya for a long time. He added that anyone could go to Ayodhya but they must go with a “clean mind and heart”.

“We are not going to Ayodhya only now, we have been going there since the Babri Mosque’s dome was pulled down and till the groundbreaking for the Ram temple was done. Ayodhya is not new and we are no strangers there,” Raut said.

Taking on Raj, Raut said that the Sena does not need to take lessons on Hindutva from any political party. “We don’t need to learn Hindutva from those people who have taken it on rent. Some tried to dirty politics by raking up the Hanuman Chalisa and loudspeakers ahead of the Kolhapur by-polls, but none of this worked in the by-poll,” said Raut.

In his two rallies held earlier this month, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had warned that if loudspeakers were not removed from mosques, then Hanuman Chalisa would be loudly played in front of these religious places. He also gave an ‘ultimatum’ to the state government to take action on his demand before May 3. The BJP has supported him over his demand.