Shiv Sena has said that the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. The verdict came after the centre took no initiative to speed up the hearing of the Babri Masjid demolition case in a special CBI court where senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi were called to testify this week. This step of the central government is beyond comprehension.
Sanjay Raut said: 'I do not understand why the Center is still keeping the case alive and at this age, Advani Ji (92) and Joshiji (86) are being dragged into the CBI court, this statement cannot be explained. He said: 'When the Supreme Court approved the construction of Ram Temple, so who has prevented the Modi government from starting the process of closing the Babri Masjid demolition case?
The Babri Masjid demolition charge case on 6 December 1992 will go on in a special CBI court in Lucknow. The court recorded statements from Joshi and Advani through video conferencing on Thursday and Friday respectively. There are 49 accused in this case out of which 32 are still alive. The Supreme Court has set August 31 as the date for the verdict in the case.
Sanjay Raut said: 'Secondly, why can't the BJP and its top leaders show courage and conviction, at least for now, for demolition instead of blaming the crowd for Kar Sevaks?' On the differences between the BJP's approach and his party, Sanjay Raut said, "Remember that our leaders, the late Bal Thackeray and Shiv Sena have always said that we are proud that the Babri Masjid was demolished to build a Ram temple."
Sanjay Raut said: 'Bal Thackeray was not in Ayodhya at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition, yet he appeared in Lucknow court. He was later arrested in Mumbai over the demolition case. He said: "I, too, was issued a summons. It was not a crime to build a temple in the place where Ram temple is being built in Ayodhya, even now the Supreme Court has given permission to build a temple there."
On the question of Uddhav Thackeray going to Ayodhya, Sanjay Raut said that if the invitation is received then he will definitely go. He said that anyway Uddhav Thackeray keeps visiting Ayodhya regularly without any invitation and worships there. Regarding the influence of the Maharashtra government's alliance with Uddhav going to Ayodhya, he said that nothing like this will happen.
Sanjay Raut said: 'NCP and Congress are well aware that Thackeray and Sena have played an important role in the Ram temple campaign. Uddhav Thackeray went to Ayodhya even after forming a coalition government. Even after the Supreme Court's order, all political parties welcomed the decision to build the Ram temple. Shiv Sena has formed a government in alliance with NCP and Congress to ensure political stability and development in Maharashtra. We face the challenges facing the country.
