Shiv Sena (UBT) to Perform 'Maha Aarti' in Nashik on Ayodhya Ram Temple Consecration Day

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has so far not received an invitation for the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22, today said he and his party leaders will visit Kalaram temple in Nashik that day and perform a 'maha aarti' on the Godavari river bank.

"The consecration of Ayodhya Ram temple is a matter of pride and self-respect. On that day (January 22), we will visit the Kalaram temple at 6.30 pm where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and (social reformer) Sane Guruji had to stage protests. At 7.30 pm, we will hold a maha aarti on the banks of the Godavari river," Thackeray was quoted by PTI as saying.

The consecration ceremony of the Ram temple will take place on January 22 in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with several VVIP guests from India and abroad, will attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

Recently, Uddhav Thackeray had said he does not need an invitation to go to Ayodhya. "Ram Lalla is mine too. I can go anytime I wish. I can go now, I can go tomorrow. When I became the chief minister, I went to Ayodhya. I visited Ayodhya before that also. Yes, I have not received any invitation, and I don't need one. I just have one request that this event should not be made a political one," he had said.