Maharashtra CM visits Ayodhya amid protest, announces Rs one crore donation

Ayodhya, March 07 (HS) Amid protest by sants for his alliance with the Congress, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray who came here on Saturday to offer prayer to Lord Ram announced donation of Rs one crore for construction of proposed Ram temple which may begin soon.

Accompanied by his son Aaditya Thackeray and several others he told media persons this amount will be deposited in trust account from his personal trust not from the government account.

 He said he had come here to fulfill a promise he had made in the first visit to the town about one and a half years ago. Today’s visit is the third during the period and after completion of 100 days in office.

Unmindful of some sants’ reaction, he said he would keep coming to the place. He had proposed to perform Aarti in the evening but postponed it in view of Coronavirus which has spread to some towns in UP.

He was happy to know that a trust has been set up to oversee construction of the temple and that it has already met twice to discuss the matter.

If land is allotted his government would go for construction of a house, Maharashtra Bhawan here.He admitted that he had not seen himself as chief minister of the coastal state even in his dream.

He said he had parted BJP company but neither was there a change in his or his party’s ideology nor love of HIndutva.

Several sants who were opposed to his visit because of his association with the Congress, leaving the BJP, werer detetained.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that idol of Lord Ram will be shifted from the present make-shift temple during Navratri. The Sunni Waqf Board has accepted the five-acre land offered to it for mosque construction.It was mandated by the Supreme Court.