Sanjay Raut hits back at BJP, asks 'Will BJP take Mehbooba Mufti to Ayodhya?'

Responding to BJP's comment on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him to take Rahul Gandhi along with him on his visit to Ayodhya, Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut took the opportunity to take a jibe on BJP asking them whether the BJP was going to take former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti along with them for the visit.

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Defending Congress

Alliance partner Congress has snubbed Shiv Sena on the latter's invitation to join Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Ayodhya visit to seek the blessings of Lord Ram. Defending Congress, Raut said, Congress welcomed the Supreme Court's historic verdict on Ayodhya which the BJP appears to have missed.

"I don't have to answer to what BJP says. But when Supreme Court's decision on Ayodhya was pronounced, Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi everyone had welcomed the decision and had given best wishes for the construction of the Ram temple. But BJP will only speak on the things that can benefit them and leaves the rest", said Raut in a face-saving stand after Congress refused to tag along for the visit.

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CM Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to visit Ayodhya temple on February 7 to seek blessings of Lord Ram on the completion of 100 days of the tri-partite Maharashtra government. After the announcement of the CM's visit, BJP leaders in a veiled attack commented whether Rahul Gandhi will join him on the visit and had insisted Thackeray to also bring him along.

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BJP leader and spokesperson Sambit Patra took a jibe at former alliance partners Shiv Sena for compromising with its ideology and switching allegiance to Congress in a bid to come to power. Patra posted a video on Twitter of an interview of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray who had spoken in a way that would be opposing to the ideologies of Congress. Patra had asked Thackeray to apologize to Lord Ram for betraying the ideals of his own father Balasaheb Thackeray.

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