Have not yet received Ram temple consecration ceremony invite: Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he has not yet received the invitation for the consecration of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Thackeray also stressed he doesn't need a formal invite as Ram Lalla belongs to everyone and that he would visit the temple town in Uttar Pradesh whenever he felt like.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been inviting several prominent personalities and political leaders of the country for the grand event.
Talking to reporters, Thackeray said Shiv Sena had undertaken a long struggle for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He further said his father and Sena founder Bal Thackeray's voting right was "snatched" for campaigning for the Ram Temple and Hindutva during a bypoll.
"I have not received any invitation yet and I don't need one to visit Ayodhya as Ram Lalla belongs to everyone. Whenever I feel like it, I will go. Shiv Sena had contributed a lot to the Ram temple movement," said Thackeray, a member of the opposition INDIA bloc.
Thackeray recalled that he had visited Ayodhya even when he was chief minister of Maharashtra.
Taking a veiled swipe at BJP, he said, "I only expect that political event shouldn't be made out of it (the consecration ceremony). Lord Ram is not the property of any single party. This is the matter of faith for crores of people".
He also said it was the Supreme Court's decision that paved the way for the construction of Ram temple and the Centre had no role.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the "top ten" among those accused of demolishing the Babri mosque in 1992 are Shiv Sainiks including Bal Thackeray. "A total of 109 Shiv Sainikas from Maharashtra figure in the list of the accused persons in the demolition case," he claimed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend the consecration ceremony.
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Parameshwara rules out internal differences in Congress in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Ruling out any internal differences in the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior party leader and Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said there may be certain minor differences of opinion, but there are no major issues or confusions within.
He also said that his absence in Delhi where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and several senior Ministers are camping and plan to meet party high command, is not because of any disgruntlement. Even though he agreed he was not invited to Karnataka Bhavan inauguration in Delhi, he said it is not too important to attend it.
"Where is the internal difference? I myself don't know. You (media) may be creating certain things and speaking. There is no difference among us. Congress is in power and we are running the administration and are implementing programmes," Parameshwara said.
Responding to a question whether there will be an end to internal differences in the Congress with the Chief Minister meeting party senior leader Rahul Gandhi and other central leaders in Delhi, he further said, "There may be minor difference of opinion, it will naturally be there, but it cannot be called an issue or confusion."
CM Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi early on Thursday.
The meeting is seen as a significant one in the backdrop of power tussle in the ruling Congress and speculations about the change in Chief Minister's post later this year. Shivakumar and Parameshwara are seen as the major contenders for the post.
Party sources said that issues like demand to replace Shivakumar from the post of state congress chief, honey-trap attempts as alleged by Minister K N Rajanna might have taken up for discussion as well.
Responding to a question on speculations within the party including the one about changing state Congress President, Parameshwara, who held the post in the past said, "Some want change, some want the same person to continue. It was the same thing when I held the post and when my first term ended, high command called all the state leaders and spoke to them, and then I was asked to continue."
Deputy CM Shivakumar is currently on an extension in the KPCC President post.
Asked whether his opinion has been sought by AICC regarding the developments in the state unit and nominations for vacant MLC posts, the Home Minister said, no one has sought any opinion and there has been no discussion in this regard.
"My opinion is not important, with the passage of time things keep changing. With the flow of fresh water, old water has to flow forward. You interpret however you want," he said when reporters tried to elicit his response on whether his opinion is being considered by the party while making decisions.
Parameshwara said he was not invited for the inauguration of the reconstructed Karnataka Bhavan building -1 'Cauvery' on Wednesday evening, but ruled out any disgruntlement.
Noting that he was the one who had laid the foundation for the Karnataka Bhavan, as the then Deputy Chief Minister, he said, "I don't know, no one has invited me. How to go to the event in Delhi without any invite? So I did not go..."
He however also said that he did not find the event to be that important for him to attend. "Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and PWD Minister were already there and I don't feel that I too should be there. I felt it was not necessary to attend."
Rejecting any difference with Shivakumar as the reason for skipping the event in Delhi and Siddaganga Math event in Tumakuru, he said, "I can even now go to his house immediately if needed. We don't have any such things, we are very good friends."
