Roadshow held in Ayodhya opposing Raj Thackeray’s visit; MNS says tour on
Addressing the gathering, the lawmaker said that said the apology was non-negotiable for Thackeray’s entry to the North heartland.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s Ayodhya tour continues to garner eyeballs as saints and mahants in Ayodhya are hellbent on not allowing him to enter the holy town till he apologises for attacking north-Indians in Mumbai in the past.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Tuesday convened a meeting of saints and mahants of Ayodhya temples to devise a strategy to prevent Raj’s visit. Singh said that it was unanimously decided in the meeting that the MNS chief will not be allowed to enter Uttar Pradesh till he tenders an apology.
Addressing the gathering, the lawmaker said that said the apology was non-negotiable for Thackeray’s entry to the North heartland.
“Raj Thackeray has been insulting North Indians right from 2008. He did not spare even pregnant women and students. We welcome his change of heart but he should first apologise. If he has a problem with apologising to the people, let him apologise to the Saints so that he will not repeat this mistake in future. If he fails to apologise, forget Uttar Pradesh, we will not even allow him to set his foot in places like Jharkhand and Bihar too,” warned Singh.
Singh also displayed a show of strength by taking out a procession with supporters shouting slogans against Raj. He evoked the names of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Saint Ramdas during his speech.
He also clarified that their confrontation was not against Maharashtra, but only against Raj Thackeray.
As per the schedule, Raj will leave for Ayodhya on June 4, and spend the next day visiting the proposed temple site before returning on June 6. The MNS chief also seeks to call on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit, but the latter has not confirmed the same.
MNS leader Manoj Chavan said the tour was on. “Top Saints and mahants do not take part in political gatherings and also don’t stop devotees from visiting temples. From our side, the visit is confirmed and Rajsaheb will be travelling to Ayodhya,” said Chavan.
Ruling parties in Maharashtra have cornered Raj Thackeray, while BJP’s state unit has distanced itself from the row.
Shiv Sena said such a reaction was expected. “The way Raj Thackeray led the campaign against the North Indians, such a reaction was expected,” said Sena MP Vinayak Raut.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) questioned why Raj was silent on such criticism. “The whole campaign is undertaken to puncture the inflated ego of Raj Thackeray. The way BJP MP is orchestrating the whole campaign shows the way BJP’s attitude towards Raj Thackeray,” said NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase.
The Congress said that Raj Thackeray is getting the taste of his own medicine. “Our constitution allows any Indian to go to any part of India and today the saints are not allowing Raj to visit Ayodhya. Raj Thackeray also used street power,” said Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant.
The BJP, however, distanced itself from this campaign. “The apology is a personal view of Brij Bhushan Singh and not of the BJP party,” said BJP leader and opposition leader of Maharashtra state council Pravin Darekar.
He urged people to not take an extremist view and spoil the atmosphere of Ayodhya.
He expressed hope that Adityanath and BJP state chief, along with former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state chief Chandrakant Patil, will solve this tangle.
A Sena minister, known to be close to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, declined to comment on the opposition faced by Raj Thackeray in Ayodhya.
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