'Babri Masjid Was Demolished in 17 Minutes, How Long Will it Take to Bring Law For Ram Mandir,' Asks Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut in Ayodhya

Mumbai, November 23: Shiv Sena leader and Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Raut, in a controversial remark, said that "We demolished the Babri Masjid in 17 minutes, so how much time does it take to make a law for the temple." Raut further said that "many MPs in the Rajya Sabha who will support the Ram temple and anybody who opposes it (Ram temple), will find it difficult to roam around the country."

The controversial comment by the Shiv Sena leader comes ahead of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Ayodhya. Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to visit Ayodhya where first he will perform an aarti on the banks of river Saryu and will then move to be a part of a pooja (worship ritual) of Ram Lala idol at the makeshift temple in Ayodhya. Ram Temple Row: Shiv Sena Leaders Board Train to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Beefs up Security Ahead of Dharam Sansad.

However, the Uttar Pradesh government denied permissions for a rally to Uddhav Thackeray, which was scheduled to take place on November 24. The permission was denied on the grounds that the venue, the Ram Katha Park – is near the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site and that any remark or provocation could give rise to tension in the area.

On November 20, Tuesday, Uddhav Thackeray, speaking on the issue of Ram Mandir, said that "Just like Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s account, is Ram Mandir also a jumla? When we're taking up this issue, we aim to ensure that Ram Mandir is actually built. This issue comes up only during the elections and once elections are over it is forgotten."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2018 04:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).