Will invite Cong, NCP to join Thackeray on Ayodhya visit: Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said their allies Congress and NCP are welcome to join Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray when he visits Ayodhya in March to mark the completion of his 100 days in power. He said offering prayers to Lord Ram has got nothing to do with the common minimum programme, on the basis of which the three ideologically different parties came together to form government in Maharashtra.

It will be the first visit of Sena chief Thackeray to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh since his party severed ties with the BJP over sharing of power after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared in October last year.

"We will invite everybody, including our allies to join. Everyone worships Lord Ram at home. So, they can join us in offering prayers at Ayodhya," Raut told PTI.

He said offering prayers to Lord Ram had nothing to do with the common minimum programme decided by the three parties while forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government. Thackeray earlier put off his November 24, 2019 visit to Ayodhya, after the NCP's core committee resolved to form an alternative government in the state.

The Shiv Sena subsequently joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra. Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, 2019 and recently completed 50 days in office.

"The government is working and will complete five years with the blessings of Lord Ram. On completion of 100 days in power, Thackeray will visit Ayodhya to seek blessings of Lord Ram and chart out his future course of action," Raut tweeted on Wednesday.

Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June last year and offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with 18 MPs of his party (who were elected after the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May 2019).