Ayodhya: For Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the visit to Ayodhya is not just an article of faith as he is making it out to be. Rather, it is a well-thought out political strategy to assert that his party’s ideology is the same as that of the BJP, and that the Uddhav leadership has lost its Hindutva baggage in the humdrum of coalition politics.
Shinde arrived with an entourage of 3,000 Shiv Sainiks, including party MPs and MLAs and several other ministers from the Maharashtra government. A pleasant surprise was the appearance of Devendra surprise; after no such indications, he made it a point to come along and be seen with Shinde, lest it sends a wrong message to their constituency.
Together, they offered prayers at the Ram Lala temple and took stock of the progress at the construction site. After attending the ‘Maha aarti’ at noon, Shinde and Fadnavis visited Hanuman Gari and Laxman quilla. Then, they sought blessings from saints and mahants who in turn gifted a 'Gada' to CM Shinde. In the evening, Shinde offered prayers on the banks of the river Saryu.
Shinde spoke on Shiv Sena-BJP coalition
"Our party's vision is clear. We have an alliance with the BJP as our ideology is the same. We will draw energy from our visit to Ayodhya and serve the people. In 2024, the Shiv Sena and the BJP's 'bhagva' (saffron flag) will be unfurled in the entire state," he said while addressing a press conference.
He underscored that "it was Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s dream to build a grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya,’’ thereby underscoring that they were the real inheritors of Balasaheb’s legacy. As a vindication of their political stand after they broke away from the Uddhav faction, Shinde highlighted that the Election Commission too had rightly awarded them the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol – which is Lord Ram’s mascot. ‘‘I got the name Shiv Sena and the symbol ‘bow & arrow’ due to the blessings of Lord Ram ', said Shinde soon after landing in the temple town.
Lashing out at Uddhav dispensation, the chief minister recalled how they had put MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana in jail just because they wanted to chant Hanuman Chalisa.
What did Shinde say on North Indians in Maharashtra?
On a question related to north Indians in Maharashtra, Shinde said, "North Indians and Maharashtra have never been separate. They are standing shoulder to shoulder with us. North Indians who have been living there for many years have all become Maharashtrians and they should get all the facilities that are given to Marathi people."
Shinde also informed that he has asked Adityanath for land for a Maharashtra Bhavan in Ayodhya and it will be named after Balasaheb.
