Shinde Likely To Visit Ayodhya on February 5 With Entire Cabinet

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and his two deputy Chief ministers will go to Ayodhya in the first week of February along with all the cabinet ministers. Officials said the Maharashtra cabinet is likely to travel on February 5 to Ayodhya. According to the sources, the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers were about to travel to Ayodhya on the day of Pran Pratishthan of Lord Ram, but the BJP top leadership advised them against it.

The sources in the BJP said that the central BJP leadership had chalked out a plan for the union cabinet ministers and the BJP ruled states’ chief ministers and deputy chief ministers to visit the temple town in Uttar Pradesh in order to maintain fervour generated by the consecration ceremony till Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Shinde was formally invited for the Ram Temple ceremony. However, a day before the event on January 21, Mr. Shinde had announced that he would not be attending the idol consecration ceremony.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fanavis had also said that he would be going to visit Ayodhya in February and to do ‘seva’ as Ram Bhakt.

A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity said, “The BJP top leadership has been conveying the dates to the chief ministers of the various states including Maharashtra. As a result, Mr. Shinde had to cancel his plan to visit Ayodhya on the day of Pran Pratishthan. In addition to this, the party wants the momentum of the Ayodhya ceremony to be continued till March, when the election dates are expected to be announced. For this, we have decided to send top leaders and chief ministers of the saffron ruled states on different dates in February and March.”

The sources said that although the date has not been finalised, but it could be February 5.