Sena takes Maha workers along to make Ayodhya event a success

LUCKNOW : Shiv Sena leaders are pulling out all stops to ensure their party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s Ashirwad Sammelan in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on November 25, is a success.

The party does not have infrastructure, support base and assistance from the current dispensation headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath. In 1991, the Sena had an MLA, Pawan Pandey, in Uttar Pradesh. He left the Sena after completing his tenure as a legislator and has been shifting loyalties since then.

In the absence of a credible face and cadre in UP, the Sena plans to import support from Maharashtra to get crowds worth a mention in Ayodhya.

Fearing a low turnout, the Sena on Wednesday cancelled its public rally at Lakshman Kila ground on November 24. Thackeray will now only attend ‘Ashirwad Sammelan’ on November 24.

A day after Sena’s show of strength, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will organise Dharam Sabha, which has the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) – a powerful body of saints that has been spearheading the temple movement across the country – as well the ruling party ministers and legislators.

Shiv Sena spokesman and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and minister Eknath Shinde have been camping in Ayodhya for the past one week. Saints of Ayodhya, associated with the Mani Ram Das Chhawni Peeth and Digambar Akhara, have refused to share a platform with Thackeray. The Sena also sent feelers to a former BJP MP from UP, who was at the forefront of the temple movement, but hasn’t got positive response.

PAWAN DIXIT