Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on January 21 said that while he would not be attending the idol consecration ceremony at the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya on January 22, he was planning, instead, to take his Cabinet, as well as MLAs and MPs from the State, to do “darshan” at the temple later on.
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“Instead of a handful of people attending the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya, I would like to take all State Cabinet members as well as MLAs and Parliamentarians later,” said Mr. Shinde, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Tata Marathon meet.
“This temple is about our faith and pride. I would like to take officials and devotees to Ayodhya,” he added, saying instructions have been given to officials to carry out a cleanliness drive in temples and to decorate them with lights ahead of Monday’s ceremony.
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Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, had told reporters in Nagpur that he would visit Ayodhya next month for “Ram seva”.
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray received his invitation for the consecration ceremony via “speed post”.
Criticising the government’s treatment of the Thackeray family, the party’s MP Sanjay Raut said, “Lord Ram will curse you. All film stars have been invited, but the Thackeray family, so closely associated with the [Ram Janmabhoomi] movement, is being treated in such a manner.”
Dismissing Mr. Raut’s claims, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant explained that speed post was chosen for a “quicker delivery”. “This was to ensure that the invitation reached in time,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray, who will not be attending the consecration ceremony either, will embark on a two-day visit to Nashik on Monday instead, with his plans including prayers at the Kalaram temple, and prayers at the Godavari river bank.