Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said Ayodhya was a place of utmost faith for him and his supporters where Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray wanted to see a grand Lord Ram temple as he flagged off a special train carrying activists of his party to the temple town in Uttar Pradesh.
Sporting a saffron shawl, Shinde, who himself will be in Ayodhya on April 9 for the first time after taking over as CM on June 30, 2022, showed the green flag to the train at Thane station around 4.40 pm amidst slogans of Jai Shri Ram.
He was accompanied by his son, Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Srikant Shinde, Kalyan unit in-charge of the Shiv Sena Gopal Landge, local leaders and hundreds of Shiv Sena activists.
Shiv Sainiks travelling by the special train, which was beautifully decorated with a 'Chalo Ayodhya' board mounted in the front, will welcome their leader when he lands in the town on Sunday.
Amid blowing of trumpets and music bands playing, the CM walked the entire stretch of the platform No. 5 accompanied by hundreds of Shiv Sainiks carrying saffron flags with pictures of Lord Ram and the party's 'bow and arrow' poll symbol printed on them. They also displayed placards bearing pictures of Shiv Sena founder the late Bal Thackeray.
Shinde carried the flags and placards for some distance, and entered train bogies and greeted passengers on their way to Ayodhya.
Talking to reporters later, Shinde said another train carrying Shiv Sainiks has left for Ayodhya from Nashik in North Maharashtra.
In all, more than 3,000 devotees have left for the temple town in these two trains, which will reach the final destination on Saturday, he said.
"Ram Bhakts on their way to the pilgrimage town were extremely enthusiastic. They are eagerly awaiting to have a darshan of Lord Ram," he said.
Shinde, whose government is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said Ayodhya was a place of utmost "shraddha” (faith) for him and his supporters, adding "We are full of bhakti towards it....it is part of our asmita (identity)."
He said Sena founder Bal Thackeray wanted to see a grand Ram temple come up in Ayodhya.
Shinde thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the ongoing construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya which is likely to be thrown open for devotees in early 2024.
The chief minister will leave for Lucknow on April 8 evening and visit Ayodhya the next day and perform 'aarti' on the banks of the Saryu river, according to an itinerary circulated among media persons.
The Shiv Sena has released a teaser on social media with regards to Shinde's visit to Ayodhya, his first after becoming chief minister on June 30, 2022, and a short video on his life.
Former Thane Mayor and Sena spokesman Naresh Mhaske along with some other leaders are camping in the temple town to oversee arrangements for Shinde's visit, which is being seen as a mega show of strength by his party, which remains locked in a bitter battle for supremacy with the rival Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Shinde's trip to Ayodhya, where a grand Ram temple is coming up, will be closely watched in political circles in Maharashtra as he seeks to establish himself as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray's legacy and reaffirms his Hindutva credentials.
The veteran politician was in the sacred city in June 2022 to make arrangements for then-Cabinet minister Aaditya Thacekray's visit, and the trip came just days ahead of his rebellion against the leadership of the undivided Shiv Sena.
-With PTI Input
