Uddhav to carry soil from Shivneri fort to Ayodhya

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will carry soil from Shivneri fort, the birthplace of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, to Ayodhya during his visit on November 25, his close aide said on Wednesday.

Thackeray had announced during the 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.

Talking to PTI, Thackeray's close aide Harshal Pradhan said the Sena chief will visit Shivneri fort, located near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra tomorrow and preparations for it are underway.

"Shivaji Maharaj is an idol not only for the Sena but for the entire country. Balasaheb Thackeray (late Sena patriarch) had always striven to work in accordance with his ideals, which Uddhav ji continues to do now," Pradhan said.

"Thackeray will carry the soil from Shivneri fort with him in an urn to Ayodhya as Chhatrapati Shivaji's blessings and also because the issue of Ram temple is very close to his heart," he said.

Thackeray had said on Tuesday that he had not yet decided if he would hold a rally in Ayodhya.

In a bid to intensify his party's campaign for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Thackeray has given a new slogan-- 'Pehle mandir, fir sarkaar' (first the temple, then the government).