Another ‘Godhra’ likely after Ayodhya temple opening: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday warned that ‘Godhra-like’ incident may befall people returning from Ayodhya after attending the inauguration of the Ram Temple.

On February 27, 2002, "Kar sevaks" returning from Ayodhya on board the Sabarmati Express were attacked and their train coach set ablaze at Gujarat's Godhra station, leading to deaths that triggered largescale riots across the state.

"It is a possibility that the government could invite a large number of people for the Ram Temple inauguration in buses and trucks, and on their return journey, an incident similar to that in Godhra may occur," Thackeray said in Jalgaon, around 400 km away.

The Ram Temple is set to be opened in January 2024, months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Thackeray also slammed the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh alleging they do not have icons whom people could idolise and instead appropriating legends like Sardar Patel and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

He said they (the BJP-RSS) were now trying to lay claim to his father Bal Thackeray's legacy.

The BJP and RSS have no achievements of their own and it is not the size of the statue of Sardar Patel (the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Kevadia) that matters but his achievements.

These persons (from the BJP and RSS) are not even close to achieving the greatness of Sardar Patel, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.

The BJP has often accused Thackeray of forsaking the ideals of Bal Thackeray to become the Chief Minister by joining hands with the Congress and NCP after the 2019 Assembly polls.

The attacks have got more strident after the Shiv Sena split in June last year and both factions began calling themselves the true inheritors of the party founder's legacy.

The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena claim they are true adherents of Bal Thackeray's Hindutva.

PTI with superficial edits