Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that the Shiv Sena has an old association with Ayodhya and party chief Uddhav Thackeray does not need an invitation to visit there, reported the PTI.

Sanjay Raut said that there was no need for an invitation to Uddhav Thackeray to visit Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram temple next month as Shiv Sena has an old association with it, unlike the BJP, according to the PTI.

Sanjay Raut claimed when the BJP blamed the Shiv Sena for pulling down Babri masjid in 1992, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray took responsibility for it, as per the PTI.

The ceremony to consecrate Lord Ram`s idol in the newly-built temple in Ayodhya is scheduled for January 22 in the coming year.

“There is no need for Uddhav Thackeray to be invited to Ayodhya. We are in Ayodhya before you (the BJP),” Sanjay Raut said when asked whether Thackeray was invited for the consecration ceremony, according to the news agency.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief (late) Ashok Singhal used to hold meetings at Matoshree, the residence of the Uddhav Thackerays in Mumbai, and the Bharatiya Janata Party was never there at that time, Sanjay Raut added.

Meanwhile, as Ayodhya gears up for the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple next month, a set of imposing sun-themed pillars — `Surya Stambhs` — are being installed along a prominent road of the temple town, reported the PTI.

Each of the 30-foot-high pillars has an ornamental orb which when lit at night resembles the Sun.

According to a senior official at the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department`s Ayodhya Division, 40 such pillars will be installed on the road — Dharam Path — that connects the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk near Naya Ghat with the Ayodhya Bypass.

“Work is underway to install these `Surya Stambhs` ahead of the consecration of Lord Ram`s idol in the newly built Ram temple. Twenty of these will be located near the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk with 10 pillars on each side of the road,” PWD Assistant Engineer A P Singh told PTI here.

When PTI visited the road on Monday night, 10 pillars were already installed, while ornamental orbs on the 10 columns on the other side of the road were being mounted.

“The other 20 pillars are located on the same road beyond the Satrangi Pul near the Saket petrol pump. Work is underway on that side as well and the aim is to complete the work by December 29,” Singh said.

Each pillar, made of reinforced cement concrete, has a decorative cladding made of a special fibre. It carries the chant `Jai Shri Ram`, a mace of Lord Hanuman and other ornamental motifs, the official said.

“Ayodhya is the city of Lord Ram ji and Lord Hanuman,” he added.

The PWD official said the project was conceived in October and the installations began earlier this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to arrive at the temple town on December 30. During his visit, Modi will inaugurate the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station and a new airport, and address a rally, officials earlier said.

He will also hold a roadshow from the airport to the city, they said

(with PTI inputs)

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