Opposition parties in Maharashtra have criticised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis for going to Ayodhya at a time when lakhs of farmers in Vidharbha and Marathwada are staring at a huge loss of crops and livestock caused by unseasonal rains and hailstorm in the past two days.
Shinde and Fadnavis are in Ayodhya to have darshan at the Lord Ram temple and also witness its construction.
Opposition criticised the timing of the tour
Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut, and party Leader in the Legislative Assembly Ambadas Danve on Sunday criticised the timing of the Ayodhya tour.
They said farmers will not forgive Shinde and Fadnavis for abandoning them. Thackeray Jr said the chief minister was presiding over ‘Ravan raj’ in Maharashtra.
Shinde reached Ayodhya along with several ministers and party MLAs in tow. He spent the day visiting several important places like Laxman Qila and Hanuman Garhi. He also witnessed the aarti on the banks of River Sarayu and sought blessings from sants and mahants.
Raut alleged that the government had left the farmers in the lurch. “This government is indulging in politics over Ayodhya. Lord Ram, who was against falsehood, will never bless them. I only hope God gives them good sense,” he said
Raut's scathing attack on Shinde
Raut claimed that his party had initiated Ayodhya tours. He said if Shinde was a true devotee of Lord Ram he would have gone to Ayodhya when he split the party and asked the almighty whether what he was doing was truthful. “Instead, Shinde went to Surat and Guwahati,” he said.
The NCP alleged that Shinde and Fadnavis had gone to Ayodhya to divert public attention from the main problems being faced by the people of Maharashtra, especially farmers. The party said while Shinde-Fadnavis’ faith lay in Ayodhya, its faith lay in the struggling farmers of Maharashtra.
The NCP said the BJP will be taught a lession during the assembly election of Karnataka.
Party leader Ajit Pawar said: “I don’t do publicity when I go on pilgrimage. There are other issues like unemployment, farmers’ losses, inflation that need to be addressed.”
“Farmers are in a difficult situation but the CM is in Ayodhya. Our party leaders will visit the farms to review crop losses,” Danve said.
Replying to the attack, Shinde said: “Visiting Ayodhya is a matter of faith. But the opposition are allergic to Hinduism and hence they are feeling uneasy. These people fear that if the message of Hinduism reaches every household then their political existence will be wiped out.”
