New Delhi, Nov 24 (IT): he clarion call for the construction of a Ram mandir at the disputed site in Ayodhya has reached its pinnacle with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray reaching the city for a two-day visit on Saturday (November 24).

Before Thackeray could land at Ayodhya, the editorial of the mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena, Saamna, gave an ultimatum to the ruling dispensation to expedite the construction of the temple, comparing it with the sleeping giant, Kumbhkarana, another character (an evil one) from Ramayan.

"The Centre has been in a deep slumber. Like Ramayan's Kumbhkarana. But just like the hero is important to a narrative. The villain is equally so. We just want to wake the Kumbhkaranas up. We want to tell them that we have had enough. You only remember Ram when the elections are near. But we don't want to be involved in this politics over Ram and his temple. We want the temple," the editorial said.

It added, "We can proudly say we [Shiv Sena] demolished the Babri Masjid in 1992. The then prime minister, Narsimha Rao, then had said the nation had been duped. And for the past 24 years, we can safely say, we have been being duped."

The Sena, which parted ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and announced, earlier this year, that it would contest all future elections independently. It has been sharply critical of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their "failure" to construct the Ram temple despite being in power for over four-and-a-half years.

The Shiv Sena, in the editorial, further said the court of law cannot build a Ram mandir; only the government can.

"The battle of Kurukshetra [Mahabharat] happened over five villages. The Mahabharat at Ayodhya is being fought over a temple," Shiv Sena further said, appropriating another mythological epic of the Indian tradition, Mahabharat.

Lord Ram is still in exile, Shiv Sena added, and would be till the government steps up.

"Give us the temple first. Pehle mandir, phir sarkar [First the Ram mandir, then the government]," it said.

In Ayodhya, Thackeray will preside over the 'Dharma Sabha' organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Thackeray is also expected to attend several events in the temple town on Sunday and is likely to pitch in for early construction of the grand Ram temple. He will be meeting Hindu saints and mahants for an aashirwad (blessings) ceremony.

He will also perform a maha aarti on the shores of river Sarayu. The Shiv Sena president will visit the disputed site on Sunday morning.

The anticipation leading up to the Dharm Sabha

More than two lakh people are expected to be in Ayodhya for the Shiv Sena-backed Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Dharm Sabha on Sunday (November 25) in what is being seen as a final push for the Ram mandir construction. The town is painted saffron as posters of Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray and Late Bala Saheb Thackeray with bow and arrow symbol donning almost every street.

Saffron hoardings have a common message: Pehle mandir, phir sarkar.

Uddhav and Aditya Thackeray will be in Ayodhya for two days and will take part in the campaign to demand an ordinance for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. On Sunday, the VHP will hold its mega Dharm Sabha near Karsevakpuram.

Sensing the law and order challenge, the district administration has divided Ayodhya into separate zones and sectors. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in each of these sectors. One DIG, three superintendents of police, three additional superintendent of police, 21 DSP, 160 inspectors and thousands of UP police constables will be engaged to ensure a peaceful gathering of Ram bhakts.

Government sources said local intelligence units have been "alerted" and extra security deployment has been made ahead of the sabha.

Section 144, which prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in one area, has been imposed in the district as the local authorities chalked out plan to accommodate the huge number of people over the next two days in the temple town.

Various akharas in Ayodhya have also readied their ashrams to host the thousands of temple supporters expected in Ayodhya for next couple of days. More than 2.5 lakh lunch packets were being readied for the Ram bhakts.

The case

The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished by lakhs of karsevaks, on December 6, 1992, claiming the land on which the mosque stood was the birthplace of Lord Ram.

The incident had triggered communal riots across the country. The movement to demolish the mosque was led by the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

The Supreme Court will hear the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit in January, 2019. The concerned parties have appealed against the Allahabad High Court's 2010 judgment of dividing the disputed land into three parts one each for the Sunni Wakf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla -- the primary players in the matter.

Amidst the loudest chatter for construction of the Ram temple in nearly two decades, political leaders have also discussed the possibility of an ordinance by the government.