Uddhav to visit Ayodhya with Sena MPs before Parl session

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray would be visiting Ayodhya with all the 18 Lok Sabha MPs of the party before the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament, sources said Wednesday.

Thackeray had visited Ayodhya in November last year and demanded that Ram temple be constructed at the disputed site before the Lok Sabha elections.

The ties between the Sena and its ally BJP were under strain then. The Sena later once again stitched up an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls, but maintained that Ram temple was an important issue for it.

When contacted, Harshal Pradhan, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray and media in-charge of the Sena, said, "It is true that Thackeray has decided to visit Ayodhya. The plan is to visit before the parliament session starts on June 17.

"There will be an announcement about the visit soon. Uddhav-ji will elaborate on the visit and the party's stand," he said.