MH-AYODHYA-ALLIES-RAUT

Will invite Cong, NCP to join Thackeray on Ayodhya visit: Raut
    Mumbai, Jan 23 (PTI) Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on
Thursday said their allies Congress and NCP are welcome to
join Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray when he visits Ayodhya in
March to mark the completion of his 100 days in power.
    He said offering prayers to Lord Ram has got nothing
to do with the common minimum programme, on the basis of which
the three ideologically different parties came together to
form government in Maharashtra.
    It will be the first visit of Sena chief Thackeray to
Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh since his party severed ties with the
BJP over sharing of power after results of the Maharashtra
Assembly elections were declared in October last year.
    "We will invite everybody, including our allies to
join. Everyone worships Lord Ram at home. So, they can join
us in offering prayers at Ayodhya," Raut told PTI.
    He said offering prayers to Lord Ram had nothing to
do with the common minimum programme decided by the three
parties while forming the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government.
    Thackeray earlier put off his November 24, 2019 visit
to Ayodhya, after the NCP's core committee resolved to form an
alternative government in the state.
    The Shiv Sena subsequently joined hands with the NCP
and Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra.
    Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister on
November 28, 2019 and recently completed 50 days in office.
    "The government is working and will complete five
years with the blessings of Lord Ram. On completion of 100
days in power, Thackeray will visit Ayodhya to seek blessings
of Lord Ram and chart out his future course of action,"
Raut tweeted on Wednesday.
    Thackeray last visited Ayodhya in June last year and
offered prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple along with
18 MPs of his party (who were elected after the Lok Sabha
polls held in April-May 2019). PTI MR
GK GK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)