Mumbai, Nov 12: The Shiv Sena Monday said the RSS' and its allied organisations "woke up" to plan 'hunkar' (exhortation) rallies to press for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya after the Sena announced its plans to visit Ayodhya on November 25.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had Saturday announced that it would organise rallies on November 25 in Ayodhya, Nagpur and Bengaluru. A meeting to discuss preparations for these rallies was also held at RSS's Smriti Mandir at Reshimbagh in Nagpur Saturday which was attended by hundreds of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal workers.
Questioning the RSS and other organisations over their choice of date for the Ayodhya rally, the Sena said, "Which almanac is being used by the organisors for the Ayodhya rally? The RSS has no intention of hosting such a rally for the Ram temple. But because the Sena announced in its Dusshera rally that it would visit Ayodhya on November 25, others have woken up." Shashi Tharoor on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: No Good Hindu Wants Temple by Razing Masjid.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena further said, "Had (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi worked towards it in the first six month of his rule, the Ram temple would have come up in Ayodhya."
"The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya was almost forgotten by everyone. We did not check any almanac or calendar for our plans for the Ayodhya visit. Till then, everyone was keeping mum about the Ram temple," Sena said.
The Sena said these rallies by RSS-backed organisations would not change its plans, adding that its visit to Ayodhya was because the party had "received an invitation from Lord Ram".