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Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday led the "Ram Raksha" protest organised by his party at the Dadar Hanuman temple in Mumbai on Sunday over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya.
Addressing the gathering, Thackeray said, "All the Hindus of the country were awakened by Balasaheb. Hindus will not forgive them. All common people should be ashamed to take money as Hindus. Thieves have no right to take Rama's name. Today, all Hindus are gathered here. Let's crack down on these thieves. We will not rest until the theft is solved." "Ram Raksha Andolan" was announced by Thackeray earlier last week. He had also questioned whether the BJP was running an "Operation Ram Mandir", referring to the 'Operation Tiger' which saw the party's MP switch to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena earlier. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, who also took part in the protest, raised questions over donations made by the party during an earlier visit to the temple. "Today, the offerings made by our countrymen are being stolen. Uddhav Thackeray visited the temple on behalf of the Shiv Sena party, and we made donations as well. Where did the silver brick we donated go? You engage in politics over people's sentiments and faith." Sawant said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut, addressing the protesters, described the gathering as the start of a larger movement to protect Lord Ram and 'Hindutva'. "The entire Hindu community was present here today. The Ram Bachao movement began today. In the future, we will have to fight and move forward to protect Hindutva and Lord Ram." Raut said. In a development in the probe into the donation issue, on Saturday, police sources said the Ayodhya Police had obtained court permission to interrogate five of the eight accused currently lodged in jail in connection with the Ram Mandir donation theft case. The accused - Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav - are scheduled to be questioned inside the jail premises, with their statements to be formally recorded. Investigators may later seek their custody for further interrogation based on the findings of the questioning, police sources added. Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Sant Mandal has extended its support to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, urging the Trust not to accept his resignation amid the controversy. (ANI)
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