Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray not invited for Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of Ram temple: Sources

New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has not been invited for the historic Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of Ram temple on August 5, according to sources. Thackeray, who visited Ayodhya in March to commemorate 100 days in office, has recently stated that the Bhoomi Pujan can be conducted through video-conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Maharashtra CM's statement is understood to be the reason that Uddhav Thackeray is perhaps not being invited to participate in the historic ceremony.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5. The 
The construction of the Ram temple will begin after the bhoomi poojan ceremony in which chief ministers of several states, Union ministers and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are also likely to participate.

Earlier on July 26, Thackeray suggested the ground-breaking ceremony for the Ram temple construction can be conducted through video-conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thackeray said that he can go to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for the ceremony, but asked if lakhs of "Ram bhakts" can be stopped from going there.

In an interview published in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said, "This is not an ordinary temple. Today, we are fighting the coronavirus pandemic and religious gatherings are prohibited. I can go to Ayodhya for the ceremony, but what about lakhs of Ram bhakts. Will you stop them? You can do e-bhoomi pujan through video-conference." 

Meanwhile, working president of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Alok Kumar today slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over his statement, and said that Thackeray's remark shows his blind opposition calling it a "fall of what once was a Hindutva Party led by the legendary Shri Bala Sahab Thackeray".

The holy city Ayodhya is getting ready for the construction of the Ram Temple after the historic Bhoomi Pujan ceremony on August 5. The city's makeover will include the construction, extension, and widening of roads and bypasses, development of a 600-acre township, along with setting up a sewage treatment plant.

BJP president JP Nadda today slammed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra as "an unholy alliance", and urged the state unit to ensure that it doesn`t need the support of anyone else for the next elections.

Addressing the Maharashtra BJP office-bearers through a video-conference, Nadda said, "The government is an unholy alliance (of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress), it is shameless and works for profit. We need to ensure that we do not need anyone and should go alone in the next elections." 

Nadda`s statements assume significance amid political speculation that the Sena may plunge into the next elections in the state in partnership with the MVA, which was formed in November 2019.