Bal Thackeray would have been happy: Raj on Ayodhya verdict

Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray would have been very happy had he been alive.

Raj, estranged nephew of the late Sena patriarch, said the verdict was the outcome of the "sacrifice" made by the karsevaks, who had participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of 1990s.

"Balasaheb would have been very happy had he been alive today. I would like to thank the supreme court for delivering this judgement on the basis of facts and emotions of the people. Now, Ram mandir should be constructed as soon as possible and 'Ramrajya' (rule of Lord Ram) shall also be established," he said.

The supreme court in a historic verdict on Saturday backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.