Sanjay Raut slams Mohan Bhagwat, says 'should not do politics in name of Ram Lalla'

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 14 (ANI): Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday hit out at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supremo Mohan Bhagwat over his remarks, saying it was "wrong" to say that India gained Independence on the day Ram temple was consecrated.
He further said that Bhagwat should not indulge in politics in the name of Ram Lalla and only then would the nation be Independent in a true sense.
"Mohan Bhagwat has said that India got independence on that day, which is wrong because Ram Lalla has been in this nation for lakhs of years. We have carried out movements for Ram Lalla earlier and we will keep at it. He should not do politics in the name of Ram Lalla, only then the nation will be independent in a true sense," Raut, who is Shiv Sena (UBT) MP in Rajya Sabha, told reporters.
He further said that the Pran Pratishtha ceremony was a matter of pride for the nation, which saw contributions from everyone. Taking a dig at Bhagwat, he said that the RSS chief was an honourable person, but not the architect of the constitution.
"The RSS chief is definitely a person who is respected. Lekin vo samvidhan ke nirmata nahi hai (However, he is not the architect of the Indian Constitution). He doesn't make the law and can't change it as well. The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Temple was a matter of pride for the nation. Everyone contributed to the formation of the temple," Raut added.
This comes after Bhagwat on Monday said that the tradition of the country was one which started with Lord Ram, Krishna and Shiva. He said that Indian gained its true Independence on the day Ram temple was consecrated.
"What is our tradition of 5000 years? The one which started from Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva," Bhagwat said while addressing a gathering at an event in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, adding, "The true independence of India, which had faced many centuries of persecution, was established on the day of Ram Temple's 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. India had gained independence but it was not established."
Taking a dig at those who claim that the livelihood of people is more important than temples, he further said that the path to the livelihood of people in India is through the doors of Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. Bhagwat said that slogans like "Gareebi Hatao" and ideologies like socialism didn't help people with their livelihood. The entire movement was carried out for the awakening of India itself, he added. (ANI)