Ram Temple dispute: Piyush Goyal meets Uddhav Thackeray days before Shiv Sena chief's visit to Ayodhya

Railway minister Piyush Goyal met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, regarding the Ram Temple issue, days before the latter's visit to Ayodhya. It is not clear what kind of talk took place, but it is being said that the two leaders have been in talks for a long time regarding the issue, reported News18.

The Shiv Sena, which is the part of the BJP-led governments in both Maharashtra and the Centre, has been aggressively pushing for the construction of the temple since the party's annual Dussehra rally last month. The party has often taunted its ally BJP over the saffron party's "failure" to construct the temple in the last four years despite coming to power.

FIle image of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. PTI

Uddhav on Sunday sought to intensify the party's campaign for Ram temple in Ayodhya by giving a new slogan which called for the construction of the temple. "Har Hindu ki yahi pukar, pehle mandir fir sarkar (Every Hindu has one demand, the temple first and then government)," he said at a press conference which was held later. Uddhav held a meeting with senior party leaders to review preparations for his visit to Ayodhya on 24 and 25 November. Sena leaders from outside Maharashtra too attended the meeting.

Uddhav also asked party workers to conduct a 'maha aarati' (grand puja) on 24 November all over the state as well as in other parts of the country where the Sena has its presence. He will be conducting 'Sarayu puja' on 24 November in Ayodhya.

Uddhav on 18 October announced that he would visit the city in Uttar Pradesh on 24 and 25 November. Sharing details of his visit, Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut a few days ago said that Uddhav is going to Ayodhya to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government that Ram Temple needs to be constructed.

Pressing for an ordinance to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple, Raut on Sunday said the delay in exercising the option is an indication that the ruling BJP at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh was not keen on building it. Raut said if the NDA government can bring an ordinance on banning instant triple talaq then why not take the same route to remove hurdles for the construction of the Ram temple, which is a "matter of pride" for the nation.

On 29 October, the apex court adjourned the hearing of the Ayodhya title suit case until January 2019. The apex court had adjourned the matter, which challenged the Allahabad High Court verdict of 2010 that ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya should be divided into three parts for each party — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lala.

The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished on 6 December, 1992, allegedly by a group of some Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed by Mughal king Babur after demolishing a Ram Temple that originally stood there. Since then, several hearings have been held in the top court to resolve the issue.