Amid the controversy over Ram Mandir issue, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar clarified that he was not against temple construction in Ayodhya but crowd gathering for the “bhoomi pujan” which is tentatively scheduled to be held on August 5.
While talking to News18, Pawar backed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and said that the “bhoomi pujan” for Ram Mandir construction shouldn’t be held with large crowds but in the presence of a selected few people amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Suggesting that an e-bhoomipujan can be done, Thackeray recently expressed that lakhs of Ram devotees will be interested to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for Ram temple at Ayodhya.
“This is a moment of joy for lakhs of Ram bhakts. This is not an ordinary temple and many will be interested to attend the ceremony at Ayodhya. What will you do about them? An e-bhoomipujan can be done via video conference,” he said.
Thackeray’s remarks didn’t go well with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which accused Shiv Sena of rejecting Hindutva over its greed for power and chair. However, Pawar has backed the Chief Minister saying that large gathering during the ceremony at Ayodhya may lead to further spread of the coronavirus.
Also Read - Ram Mandir Issue: No Turning Back For Shiv Sena
Pawar stated that he will not go to Ayodhya for the ground-breaking ceremony even if he was invited as his priority was to tackle the coronavirus pandemic which has gripped Maharashtra.
“I won’t be attending the bhoom pujan for Ram Mandir. Even if I get the invitation, I will not visit Ayodhya as my priority is to tackle the coronavirus pandemic,” Pawar said while expressing displeasure that non-willingness to go for the ceremony shouldn’t be labelled as opposition to Ram temple construction.
“The Supreme Court has clearly ended the dispute over Ram Mandir. We are not against the construction of Ram temple,” he asserted.
Earlier, Pawar had taken a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that some people think that building a temple will eradicate coronavirus. Modi has been invited to lay the foundation stone for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya along with other top leaders in the Union cabinet.
Also Read - Don't Extend Lockdown Or People Will Die Of Starvation: Prakash Ambedkar Tells Uddhav Thackeray
Share
Tweet
