In his rally on Sunday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray laid out the reasons why he postponed his visit to Ayodhya Ram Mandir. "Two days ago, I tweeted about postponing my Ayodhya visit. I intentionally gave the statement to allow everyone to give their reactions. Those who were against my Ayodhya visit were trying to trap me, but I decided not to fall into this controversy," he said, reported news agency ANI. According to multiple reports, he said there were plans to lodge false cases against the MNS workers who would accompany him to Ayodhya.
He also touched on the loudspeaker issue raging in the state. "After I asked my workers to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers, the Rana couple [Ravi and Navneet Rana] said they will recite Hanuman Chalisa at Matoshree. Is Matoshree a mosque? Everyone knows what happened between the Shiv Sainiks and the Rana couple later," he said.
Raj Thackeray, on Friday, had announced that his visit to Ayodhya scheduled on June 5 has been put on hold. The announcement came amid stiff opposition from BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has warned that Thackeray will not be allowed to enter Ayodhya till he tendered a public apology for "humiliating" north Indians in the past.
Thackeray had announced about his visit to Ayodhya during his rallies held last month.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said there could be political reasons behind the MNS chief's latest decision. "People in Ayodhya have opposed Raj Thackeray's visit and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has highlighted the anger of the UP people by opposing his visit," Raut said. "I pray to Lord Ram that Raj Thackeray's health improves. The visit was publicised and now it has been put off. There may be some political reasons. BJP is known for its use-and-throw policy. Shiv Sena has come out of it after experiencing it for 25 years," he alleged.
