Ayodhya, November 24: Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government during his two-day visit to Ayodhya for not being able to fulfil the promise of constructing Ram Temple. Thackeray said that the government should tell us when the Ram Mandir would be constructed and rest of the things would be discussed later. He demanded that the ruling BJP should declare the date for constructing the temple. The Shiv Sena chief also asked the Modi government to take a note-ban type decision on constructing the temple.

Thackeray is on a two-day visit to the city. His visit coincides with the ‘Dharma Sabha’ which will be organised by the Vishav Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Thackeray met seers in Ayodhya. He also visited Laxman Qila. Senior Sena leaders including Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut are also accompanying the party chief. According to reports, around 3,000 party workers also left from Ayodhya in two special trains from Nashik and Thane on Thursday. Security has been tightened in the area.

The Shiv Sena chief also took part in rituals near the Sarayu River. He will visit the site of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Sunday morning. Earlier also, the Shiv Sena attacked the ruling BJP led government in the Centre for not been able to fulfil the promise of building Ram temple in Ayodhya. On November 20, Thackeray while speaking on the Ram Mandir issue said that "Just like Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s account, is Ram Mandir also a jumla? Meanwhile, on Friday Raut made a controversial remark. The Shiv Sena MP said, “We demolished the Babri Masjid in 17 minutes, so how much time does it take to make a law for the temple.”

Meanwhile, Ayodhya has been converted into a fortress by the state police to avoid any untoward incident ahead of the VHP’s Dharma Sabha. The police have divided Ayodhya into eight zones and 16 sectors, with the number of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) from 20 to 48 as the organisers of the Sabha claimed that more than 3 lakh devotees of Lord Ram are likely to arrive for the programme this Sunday. Section 144 is also imposed in the city.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 24, 2018 06:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).