A crucial meeting between Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is going on in Ayodhya on Monday to discuss who will become the president of Ram Temple Trust after the donation theft controversy that has attracted so much attention.
The meeting is mostly about the resignations of former General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra and the trust members discuss the situation of the ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of temple donations. The resignations of Anil Mishra and former General Secretary Champat Rai are widely accepted by the trust members, sources say. But the final decision will come after following the trust's prescribed procedures.
The high-level meeting, led by Trust President Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, was shifted from Mani Ram Das Chhawani to Ram Mandir complex due to the increased security arrangements and the expected presence of a large media presence. Champat Rai and Anil Mishra are absent from the proceedings.
Swami Govind Dev Giri, Trust Treasurer, presented the resignations to the members and discussed the effects of the donation theft case. He said it was “the biggest mistake of these days” and that the issue had hurt lakhs of Lord Ram devotees across the country. He also said there were administrative failures and that we have to improve oversight so that we do not see such things again.
With the trust to accept resignations, who will fill the vacancies? From the sources, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International General Secretary Bajrang Bagra has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Champat Rai as the trust's General Secretary.
Bagra, who is a Chartered Accountant from Rajasthan's Sikar district, has been the International General Secretary of VHP since February 2024. Before he went to work full-time in social work, he held positions in the finance industry as Director (Finance) and Chief Financial Officer at National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and RITES Ltd. He has also served as Joint General Secretary and Ekal Abhiyan President and CEO in the VHP. He has financial experience and administrative skills, and the trust values him as a solid financial manager and administrator.
Another name is that of Neeraj Dauneria, the National Convenor of Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the VHP. A long-time Sangh Parivar functionary, Dauneria is in the business of the organisation and the campaigns of Ram Janmabhoomi. He has the mass base and has been involved in Hindu religious causes for a long period of time, which makes him one of the most attractive candidates.
Krishna Mohan, who retired from the Indian Forest Service (IFS) in 2016, is also in the race. He served in various administrative and conservation roles and was involved in social work and later was an RSS office-bearer for eastern Uttar Pradesh. His governance experience and organisational background have been believed to strengthen his chances.
The trust’s decisions will assist in restoring public confidence in the organization after the donation theft controversy. Alongside all the change in leadership, it also aims to streamline the administrative processes of the organization, enhance the transparency of the financial system, and implement a tighter monitoring system to protect devotees’ contributions.
As the trust will be able to make final decisions on the resignations and possibly appointments when it has finished its discussions, we expect to have an official announcement regarding them soon.
