Modi’s Ex-Aide Nripendra Misra Gets Key Role in Ram Mandir Trust

The first meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra concluded in Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s former principal secretary Nripendra Misra will head the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra.

(Photo: The Quint)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s former principal secretary Nripendra Misra will head the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, a trust formed by the government for building the Ayodhya temple.

Misra is an IAS officer from the 1967 batch of the UP cadre.

The decision was taken at the first meeting of the Ram Janmabhoomi trust which concluded on Wednesday, 19 February, with Nritya Gopal Das being named president.

Champat Rai was named general secretary and Govind Dev Giri was named treasurer of the Trust in the meeting which was conducted at the residence of Supreme Court lawyer K Parasaran, head of the Board of Trustees.

“Logon ki bhavna ka aadar kiya jaayega. Jaldi se jaldi mandir ka nirman hoga. (People’s sentiment will be respected. The temple will be built as soon as possible),” Das told reporters, according to ANI.

PM Modi had announced the formation of the 15-member trust in Parliament on 5 February, in adherence to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in November 2019. It has seven regular members, five nominated members and three trustees.

The meeting was aimed at working out modalities to speed up the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, reported PTI.

It was also decided that an account will be opened in Ayodhya’s State Bank of India branch for donations for the Ram temple construction, Chanmpat Rai told reporters after the meeting.

Among those present at the meeting were the central government representative, additional secretary in Home ministry Gyanesh Kumar, UP government's representative Avinash Awasthy and Ayodhya District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha, PTI reported.

A wall of bricks bearing ‘Shri Ram’ chants seen at the Ram Janmabhomi Nyas-run workshop at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya . (Photo: PTI)

Senior lawyer Parasaran has been named the head of the Trust and its other members include Jagatguru Shankracharya, Jyothishpeethadheeshwar Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj from Allahabad, Jagatguru Madhavacharya Swami Vishwa Prasannatheerth Ji Maharaj, Pejawar Math in Udupi, Yugpurush Paramanand Ji Maharaj from Haridwar, Swami Govinddev Giri Ji Maharaj from Pune and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra from Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar in Lucknow said, “Aap jaise Ram Mandir banane ke liye Trust bana sakte hain, masjid banane ke liye Trust kyun nahi bana sakte? Desh to sabka hai, sabhi ke liye hai. (If you can make a Trust for Ram Mandir, then why can’t you make one for the mosque? The country belongs to everyone, it is for everyone.)”

BJP member Kameshwar Chaupal, a Dalit member of the trust, laid the foundation for the temple during 'shilanyas' in 1989. The Modi government had earlier announced that at least one person on the 15-member trust will be a Dalit.