Ram Mandir bhoomipujan should have been held later, says Raj Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned the timing of Ram Mandir bhoomipujan at Ayodhya which is scheduled on August 5, saying it is not

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned the timing of Ram Mandir bhoomipujan at Ayodhya which is scheduled on August 5, saying it is not an opportune time considering the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Thackeray said the event should have been a grand one and added, “There was no need to rush through the event. If it took place two months from now, people would have celebrated the event. Currently, people are not in that mindset to celebrate. The event should have been held when the situation is stable.”

“I wonder why they have chosen this time for this event,” said Thackeray.

He also shot down his cousin and Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s suggestion of conducting e-bhoomipujan citing that scores of people have given their lives for this temple and hence, the construction of the temple is inevitable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple coming Wednesday.

On Thursday, Dalit parties demanded that a grand Buddha Vihar be set up at Ayodhya. Union minister Ramdas Athawale raised the demand on the grounds that before the temple and Babri Masjid, there was a Buddha Vihar in the land citing that various Buddhist artefacts were discovered while levelling the ground for the temple.