Appoint Sena member on Ayodhya temple trust: MLA writes to PM

Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik on Friday wrote to PM Modi seeking to nominate a Shiv Sena member as trustee of the Ram Mandir Trust. The Ram Mandir trust held its first meet in February where Nitya Gopal Das was appointed as the president of the trust.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking appointment of a party leader as a member of the Ram Temple Trust formed to oversee construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

Sarnaik, who represents Ovala-Majiwada assembly constituency in Thane, also invoked Sena founder late Bal Thackeray's contribution in the campaigning for the construction of the temple.

Sarnaik made the demand ahead of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's visit to the temple town on Saturday.

In the two-page letter, which Sarnaik said he had sent on Friday, the MLA also said that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray too had campaigned hard for the cause of the temple.

PM Modi on February 5 announced in the Lok Sabha the formation of the 15-member Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year.

Referring to that, Sarnaik alleged that the contribution made by the Sena for the cause was "conveniently forgotten" while making appointments of the trust members.

"As the temple is going to be constructed, the Central government should never forget the participation of thousands of Shiv Sainiks and that of the Thackeray family. Hence, requesting you to nominate a Ram devotee Shiv Sainik as a (temple) trustee," Sarnaik stated. (PTI)