UBT’s Raut Calls Nagpur ‘Hindutva Capital’, Blurs Barrier In Ram Name | Nagpur News

Nagpur: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday called Nagpur the “capital of Hindutva”, with reference to RSS headquarters here, saying the July 18 Ram Raksha Andolan led by party chief Uddhav Thackeray was meant to send a message to Hindus. He added that RSS’ Belagavi statement expressing grief over the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram temple was not adequate, since the key accused was still free.Raut led a veiled attack at Mahayuti, whose members mocked UBT over Uddhav’s Ram Raksha Andolan. One such was an allegation that Thackeray could not even recite Ram Raksha properly. Raut said “Those capable of reciting Ram Raksha fluently were the ones who stole from Ram temples. However, this ‘andolan’ is not directed against RSS or anybody else. We are organizing a religious event, it’s not a political programme.”As questions were being raised whether UBT will be able to get civic and police permissions for the event, Raut said “We will invite everyone. If Devendraji is in Nagpur that day, we will invite him too. We will speak to RSS office-bearers as well and invite them. If they all come, we will roll out a red carpet for them.”When questioned by the media if he would indeed invite RSS members, Raut said he would try to contact as many of them as possible. “We will go to the RSS headquarters and invite their senior office-bearers. We will tell all parties, you come. This is Ram’s path, Ram’s strength.”Raut said Congress and NCP leaders would also be invited if they wished to attend, and reiterated that CM Devendra Fadnavis, a life member of the Ramnagar temple who visits it every year for darshan, would receive a warm invite. “We will invite him with respect and love,” he said.He accepted that Uddhav’s presence for the July 18 event was deliberate, given the location. “This is the second capital of Maharashtra, which also houses the RSS headquarters. Nagpur is definitely important. We held a similar programme in Mumbai, and it will be done across the state now,” said Raut.With some in the Mahayuti saying UBT has ‘finally remembered Ram’, Raut said the connection with the Lord was an old one. “We are all accused in the movement which we carried out for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. I have appeared before CBI court 10 times as an accused,” he said.