Sena for memorial for ‘mandir drive martyrs’

nMUMBAI: Shiv Sena on Friday called for the construction of a memorial along Sarayu river in Ayodhya to pay “tribute to the martyrs who laid down lives for the cause of Ram Mandir”.

In its mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party suggested that the memorial be built on the lines of the Amar Jawan Jyoti in Delhi, which is a

“constant reminder of the bravery of our soldiers”. “Those who were martyred were not from any one political party or outfit. They conducted a surgical strike for the country, religion and faith,” the editorial said.

The party’s response comes two days after Sharad Pawar, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party, which is a Sena partner in the Maharashtra government, asked the Centre to form a trust to construct a mosque, along the lines of the Ram Mandir Trust formed for the temple in Ayodhya. Pawar made the statement at a function in Lucknow.

Reacting to media reports that the Ram Mandir temple trust has a deadline of 2024 to complete the construction of the temple in Ayodhya, Saamana said the BJP will gain benefits from the completion of the construction in the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for the same year.

“It is evident that Lord Ram will be the chief guest of the [BJP’S] election campaign, because the issues of Pakistan or surgical strike will not work in 2024 election,” the Saamana editorial said, taking a jibe at the party’s erstwhile ally.

Saamana also suggested that opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Sharad Pawar be invited to the temple’s bhoomipoojan ritual.