New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to attend a religious function scheduled at Nashik’s Kalaram Temple on January 22, saying it would “enhance the dignity” of the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
In his letter dated Friday (January 12), Thackeray – who was not invited to the Ayodhya event, which is also slated for January 22 – referred to the Ram mahaaarti and mahapuja scheduled to take place at the Kalaram Temple.
He said that Murmu’s presence at the temple, which he said attested to Lord Ram’s activities during exile, would also “continue the tradition established by [former President] Rajendra Prasad” through his visit to the consecration of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat in 1951.
“We not only hope but have full faith that you will come to Lord Ram’s sacred land Nashik, which is itself in this karma-oriented nation, and not only give tribal people and sanatani Hindus an opportunity to be proud, but infuse our 140 crore citizens with enthusiasm,” Thackeray wrote in Hindi.
Thackeray also congratulated Murmu on the Ayodhya temple’s consecration and said it represented the “complete fulfilment of the religious resolve” of his late father Bal Thackeray, who was also a Hindu nationalist leader.
“The ideals of Lord Ram are not limited only to Hinduism or Hindutva but are also a symbol of the nation’s identity and faith,” he added.
President Murmu was formally invited to the Ayodhya consecration on Friday, Vishva Hindu Parishad spokesperson Vinod Bansal said on X (formerly Twitter).
आज भारत की महामहिम राष्ट्रपति आदरणीया श्रीमती द्रौपदी मुर्मू जी को 22 जनवरी को श्री राम मंदिर की प्राण प्रतिष्ठा का निमंत्रण सौंपा। उन्होंने इस पर अत्यंत हर्ष व्यक्त किया तथा कहा कि अयोध्या आने व दर्शन करने का शीघ्र समय तय करेंगी।
इस अवसर पर राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ के अखिल… pic.twitter.com/ceO6Gwuvbc— विनोद बंसल Vinod Bansal (@vinod_bansal) January 12, 2024
Once finished, the Ayodhya temple will replace the Babri Masjid, which stood at the same place and was demolished by Hindu nationalists in December 1992.
Proponents of the new temple say Lord Ram was born at the site and that a temple dedicated to him existed there before it was replaced by the mosque.
Religious riots triggered by the mosque’s demolition killed around 2,000 people, mostly Muslim, across India.
In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the site involved to plaintiffs associated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad.
It also ordered that a separate parcel of land nearby be handed over to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a new mosque.