‘Ayodhya event can be done via video link’

As Ayodhya gets ready for the bhoomi pujan of proposed Ram Mandir at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has advocated e-bhoomi pujan of the event via video conferencing in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

“I might go to Ayodhya with proper security and privileges of being a chief minister. But what about those lakhs of Ram bhakts, who are eagerly awaiting the moment and want to attend the event? Will you stop them from going there?” he asked on Sunday.

Mr Thackeray, who is also the president of Shiv Sena, expressed the concern that allowing Bhakts to attend the event might lead to spread of coronavirus. “Because of corona, we have banned people from going to temples. So why not perform the e-bhoomi pujan of Ram Mandir through a video conference?” he asked in an interview published in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Mr Thackeray recalled that the last time when he had gone to Ayodhya, he was stopped from performing ‘aarti’ at the Saryu river there since the Covid-19 pandemic spread had just started. “Before that when I had gone, there was hardly a space to move. There were huge crowds on the river banks. Ram Mandir is a matter of faith. How can you stop people from going there?” he asked.

Uddhav had visited Ayodhya on March 7 to offer prayers to Lord Ram to mark the completion of 100 days of the MVA government led by him. He had also visited the holy town in June 2019 after the Lok Sabha polls and offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 18 newly-elected MPs of his party.

The bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is scheduled to take place on August 5. Along with Mr Modi, several prominent political and religious leaders in the country are expected to be invited for the ceremony.