Uddhav vows to visit Ayodhya, Varanasi

In a statement that could make the BJP uncomfortable, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said he would visit Ayodhya and have darshan of Ram Lalla, and also perform Ganga aarti in Varanasi.

“I will visit Ayodhya and have darshan of Ram Lalla…I want to participate in Ganga aarti in Varanasi,” Thackeray said on Wednesday in the third and final part of the interview published in the Sena mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dophar ka Saamana', and video-interview in www.saamana.com.

In the interview conducted by Saamana’s executive editor and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, Uddhav also spoke on a wide range of political issues. The series of interviews are part of Uddhav's 58th birthday celebrations, on July 27.

The visit to Uttar Pradesh is going to be significant as it is the strongest state for the BJP and Varanasi is the constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“When the construction of the Ram Mandir would start, I am not aware. However, I would like to visit and have darshan of Ram Lalla in Ram 'janmabhoomi',” he said, adding, “In Varanasi, I would like to see how clean the Ganga is…"