Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya are reportedly taking lessons for the pronunciations of Hindi words ahead of their visit to Ayodhya on 25 November.
Uddhav Thackeray, who is set to deliver a speech in Hindi in Ayodhya, wants his pronunciations to be clear, sources said.
The father-son duo are reportedly being tutored by Vinay Shukla, the party’s north India co-ordinator.
Shukla, however, told The Quint that he is tutoring Aditya and not Uddhav.
Thackeray had announced during Shiv Sena’s Vijayadashmi rally in Mumbai that he will visit Ayodhya on 25 November and "question" Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of the construction of the Ram temple.
Uddhav will also present a silver brick with the word ‘Shri Ram’ embossed on it to the temple in Ayodhya.
Vinay Shukla with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
(Photo: The Quint)
Welcome Shiv Sena’s Decision to Visit Ayodhya: BJP
Maharashtra BJP President Raosaheb Danve on Wednesday, 14 November, said his party welcomes Uddhav Thackeray's decision to visit Ayodhya later this month, reported news agency PTI.
He was talking to reporters as a part of his tour of Thane, Kalyan and Bhiwandi to take stock of the party's preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections next year.
On a question about the Shiv Sena hijacking the Ram temple issue from the BJP, Danve said, “Nobody can hijack issues. They do their party’s work and we do ours... We welcome Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to visit Ayodhya.”
When asked about Sena's criticism of the BJP despite sharing power with it in Maharashtra, Danve said his party's stand has always been to take all the NDA allies along.
Ayodhya Visit Politically Motivated to Polarise Votes: Congress
Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan on Tuesday, 13 November, alleged that the Shiv Sena chief’s visit to Ayodhya was politicall- motivated and was meant to polarise voters, according to PTI.
He said Thackeray's visit to the disputed site would not gain anything.
"Soon, there will be elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. He (Thackeray) wants to take advantage and polarise votes. But people have understood Uddhav Thackeray's intentions. He is doing all this only for political gains," Chavan said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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