LUCKNOW: In a veiled attack on his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused him of making a departure from Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology over Hindutva conveniently just for the greed of power.
“Those who make a claim to the legacy of Balasaheb, mindfully shook hands for power with those who had been allergic to Hindutva since independence and never supported Ram temple in Ayodhya,” said Eknath Shinde hinting at the Uddhav Thackarey-led Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.
He was interacting with the media after the darshan of Ram Lala and Hanuman Garhi along with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and his cabinet colleagues in Ayodhya on Sunday.
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On his first visit to the temple town as CM, Shinde lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “making the dream of Balasaheb and millions of Ram devotees across the globe come true by commencing the construction of a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.”
In a bid to justify the rebellion driven by him in Shiv Sena and forming a government in the state with the BJP as an ally, Shinde claimed that the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly results were a clear mandate in favour of a Shiv Sena- BJP government instead of Maha Agadi government.
Shinde said he wanted to make it clear to those who compared his rule with “ravan raaj” that this government was made with the blessings of Lord Ram.
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“After becoming the chief minister, I came here for the first time. With the blessings of Lord Ram, we got our symbol of bow and arrow and the name of our party... Ram Temple is not a political topic for us, it's our faith,” Shinde said after paying obeisance to Ram Lalla and overseeing the construction work of the temple.
He claimed that he would take soil from Ayodhya to Amravati, where a 111-foot statue of Bajrangbali (Lord Hanuman) would be built.
Shinde's supporters were seen carrying saffron flags with the Shiv Sena's election symbol. From the helipad, the Maharashtra CM, accompanied by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and his cabinet colleagues, held a massive road show on their way to Ram Janmabhoomi premises for the darshan of Ram Lalla.
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At Hanumangarhi, the Maharashtra chief minister was given a mace by temple mahant Raju Das. Fadnavis and BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh were also present .
Thousands of Shiv Sainiks have also reached Ayodhya. Shinde had earlier visited Ayodhya as a Shiv Sena leader on November 25, 2018, almost a year before the Supreme Court's verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute. He also visited the holy city in March 2020 and June last year.
