Shiv Sena offers to lead Chari-Mubarak

New Delhi, June 27 (UNI) The Shiv Sena today said it was ready to lead the Chari Mubarak procession to Amarnath if the head priest of the cave shrine and custodian of the holy mace Deependra Giri was reluctant to do so in view of the controversy over the ice 'lingam'.

Sena office bearers from Jammu and Kashmir and north India would take the Chari (mace) to their party supremo Bal Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai, the party's Delhi unit chief Jaibhagwan Goyal said in a statement explaining his offer.

Mr Thackeray and the party's Executive President Uddhav Thackeray would then formally flag off the procession to the holy cave after 'pujas', he said, adding that it would reach Amarnath after travelling through Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Goyal said the Shiv Sena wanted to ensure the continuance of age-old traditions. The Chari Mubarak procession could not be given a go by because the head priest of Amarnath had a ''personal dispute'' with other shrine board members, he said.

UNI VN ARB KN2004