Ram Mandir consecration: ‘Our contribution can’t be erased,’ say Sena workers who took part in kar sewa in 1992

“We had gone for kar sewa along with several Sena leaders, MLAs and corporators. Balasaheb himself sent us. We risked our lives to go there. But today when the Ram Mandir is being consecrated, Uddhav Thackeray is not being given due credit and respect. The invite was not sent till Saturday evening and they sent the invite through speedpost which is not appropriate at all. Due respect should have been given. How can they ignore the Thackerays and Sainiks who played a major role in the Ramjanmabhoomi movement,” Santosh More, deputy shakha pramukh of Shiv Sena (UBT) from Lower Parel, who had gone to Ayodhya for kar sewa when the structure was brought down, said.

Former minister Subhash Desai said the sidelining of the Sena was a political ploy of the BJP. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

More said he was 25 years old when he went to Ayodhya along with several Sainiks and Sena leaders.

Manoj Sonar Walmiki, another Sena (UBT) deputy shakha pramukh who too had gone to Ayodhya as a 21-year-old, too expressed resentment. “Uddhav should have been invited properly and given due respect. Sena should not have been ignored considering the party’s contribution. Now as per Uddhav’s orders, we kar sewaks will go to Nashik for ‘darshan’ at Kalaram mandir and participate in a ‘maha aarti’ on January 22,” Walmiki said.

Gajanan Pardeshi, another Sena kar sewak, also expressed his resentment over the treatment to the Thackeray family.

“You gave special invitations to filmstars and all. But Sena kar sewaks and leaders were left out. They have sent an invite to Uddhav through speedpost just to show that they have invited him. They should have gone to his house and invited him,” he said.

Uddhav did not receive an invite for the January 22 event till Saturday night and recieved the invite only though speedpost, while Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena after it split, was invited much earlier.

Uddhav has announced that on January 22 he will perform ‘maha aarti’ at the Godavari riverbank in Nashik and visit Kalaram temple at Panchavati, where Lord Ram is said to have stayed during his exile.

A Shiv Sena old-timer who had heeded Bal Thackeray’s call to participate in kar sewa is former minister Subhash Desai, who said that while the building of the Ram Temple was a joyous occasion for them, the sidelining of the Sena was a political ploy of the BJP.

“It was Sena that facilitated and helped the Rath Yatra pass through different parts of Maharashtra. Soon after the demolition, several BJP leaders including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and then BJP vice-president Sundar Singh Bhandari had said that those who were on the dome were Sainiks (Sena workers),” Desai said.

He claimed several BJP leaders had given interviews regretting the demolition. “It was only Balasaheb who took responsibility for it and said that if Shiv Sainiks had done it, then he was proud of them. It was an appreciation and support for the Sainiks.

He stood behind all kar sewaks, not just Sena’s kar sewaks. On the one hand, you (BJP) gathered your workers for kar sewa and, on the other hand, you disowned the act. Balasaheb did not do it ever. Now they are taking credit for it and playing invitation politics. Let them take credit. But people know very well about Shiv Sena’s role and contribution for the cause,” Desai said.

Desai also questioned the timing of the event and said several religious scholars are pointing out that the consecration cannot take place as the temple work is not yet complete.

“When we ask people, everyone says in one voice that the consecration should have been in April but then there would be the election code of conduct and the BJP cannot do anything then and hence it has been preponed. This is being done to take political advantage as the elections are approaching. People are aware of what is happening,” he said.