Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) acting president Alok Kumar on Monday said that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s suggestion that the ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ (ground-breaking ceremony) for the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya scheduled for August 5 be performed via videoconferencing was a “sign of the great fall of a once great Hindutva party”.

“ ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ is an essential and sacred ritual. Before starting any construction work, we worship Mother Earth, seek Her permission to dig and construct structures and obtain Her blessings for the mission. Obviously, this cannot be done by e-conference. The country is going through its normal activities with all precautions relating to COVID-19. The Supreme Court permitted the symbolic taking out of Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra. The rituals of Shri Amarnath Yatra have all been performed though the yatra is not permitted this year,” he said.

“The VHP has always made it clear that the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ will be done by restricting participation to 200 persons and complying with all health and security advisories. In this situation, the concern about public health expressed by Shri Thackeray are only false pretensions,” he said.

The ceremony has been scheduled for August 5 in Ayodhya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to attend it.

Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party which is an ally of Mr. Thackeray in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, has taunted the government for going ahead with the ceremony in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the function should be held via videoconference without much fanfare.

The Shiv Sena has, in the past, admitted to being part of the “kar seva” that led to the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.