At a time when the entire country is waiting for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh with bated breath, Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray has gone on to utilize the much-awaited occasion to spread rumours and instil fear among devotees.
On Sunday, September 10, addressing an event in Jalgaon, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav camp) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister claimed that a “Godhra-like” incident could occur during the “return journey” of the large number of devotees expected to converge in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, for the inauguration of the Ram Temple.
The Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will in all probability be inaugurated in January 2024 and tens of thousands of Hindus from throughout the country are expected to attend the grand ceremony.
“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 asserted.
VIDEO | "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," said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray earlier.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 11, 2023
STORY… pic.twitter.com/iEZocaMs9c
BJP slams Uddhav Thackeray for fear-mongering about the Ram Mandir inauguration event
Former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Uddhav Thackeray for his reckless remark. He said that Balasaheb Thackeray – Mr Thackeray’s late father – may feel “… what happened to my child?” “With whose blessings he became a big leader… will he speak like this? The Ram Janmbhoomi movement which Balasaheb blessed? This alliance against PM Modi can go to any limits for votes,” he declared.
“I would like to pray to Lord Ram to give them (the I.N.D.I. Alliance) some wisdom,” he added
#WATCH | On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's remarks on Ram Mandir, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "…All I would like to say is that this entire alliance, that is against PM Modi, can go to any limit for votes…I would like to pray to Lord Ram to give them some… https://t.co/Zme5rTQMI6 pic.twitter.com/54bCbNWkhm
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2023
When pressed to comment, Union minister Anurag Thakur said some people have forgotten their party ideology for the greed of the power. “I don’t know what Balasaheb (late Shiv Sena founder and Uddhav Thackeray’s father) would have thought today and what Uddhav ji is doing today for the greed of power,” Anurag Thakur said as he was asked to comment on Uddhav’s statement.
“I don’t know what Balasaheb (late Shiv Sena founder and Mr Thackeray’s father) would have thought… what is Uddhavji doing for greed of power?” he asked, “Rahulji, Uddhavji didn’t say a word when things were said about Sanatan Dharma.”
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan said that Uddhav Thackeray is trying to create a sense of fear in the minds of the people. “Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut have been giving statements on this for days. This is a baseless statement. Does he want clashes in society? He’s creating a sense of fear amongst people, senselessly. I doubt if he has to plan something similar. Police should pay attention to him,” he said.
When leftist liberals and opposition leaders like Uddhav Thackeray use the Godhra carnage to demonize the central government, they conveniently forget about the 59 innocent people who were burned alive in the train for literally no fault of theirs.
The truth about the 2002 Godhra train carnage
On 27 February 2002, the Sabarmati Express was scheduled to reach Godhra station at about 3:30 a.m. On that day, the train was running four hours late. As such, it arrived at Godhra by 7:40 a.m. Eight minutes later, a mob of 2000 Islamists set 59 Hindus, including 25 women and 15 children, in the coach S6 of the train on fire in Godhra’s predominantly Muslim area – Signal Falia.
31 Islamists were found guilty of the Godhra massacre on February 22, 2011, by the trial court (with only 11 receiving the death penalty and 20 receiving life in prison), and all 31 convictions were affirmed by the Gujarat High Court in October 2017, resulting in everyone receiving a life sentence. Prior to that, based on the testimony of witnesses and survivors, it was obvious to anybody with even a modicum of intellectual integrity that Muslims had set the train on fire.
In February 2003, an accused person made a judicial confession in which he acknowledged that Godhra was a well-planned attack and that he had personally participated in it. A judicial confession is conclusive evidence. This proves that the Godhra carnage was a preplanned attack on the innocent Karsevaks.
Uddhav Thackeray claimed riots may erupt after Ram Mandir’s inauguration
However, this is not the first time Uddhav Thackeray has resorted to using the Ram Mandir inauguration event to instil fear amongst the Hindu devotees. In August this year, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav camp) chief, who once projected himself as a Hindutva icon, had claimed that riots may erupt after Ram Mandir’s inauguration.
While claiming that the Pulwama attack was a conspiracy hatched by the BJP to win elections, Thackeray said, “Another possibility is being spoken about and all the Hindus in the country should pay close attention to it. Now it has been exposed that the attack by Pakistan was a false thing. They may also promise a house on the moon. What more can be done then? It is more dangerous. Look at the Ram Mandir being built in which they have played no role. I say no role because, they did not demolish Babri mosque, they did not give an order of building the Ram Mandir – it was given by the court, and money was given by the people and the government exchequer. But they will hold a program of inaugurating the Ram Mandir on 1st January 2024. At that time, as told by Satyapal Malik and Mahua Moitra, they will call thousands and lakhs of Hindus to Ayodhya from all over the country. They will bring them to Ayodhya by bus and train. And when after the program, these trains and buses will go back to their respective places, they will orchestrate attacks on these buses and trains while they pass from the Muslim settlements so that riots can be initiated throughout the country. This is not my opinion. It is the opinion of these two leaders. I am just telling it to you.”
