Published Jul 06, 2026 | 6:57 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 06, 2026 | 7:45 PM
Champat Rai(left) and Bajrang Bagra (right)
Synopsis: Ayodhya Ram Mandir has a new general secretary eleven days after Champat Rai submitted his resignation. The move comes at a time when Opposition leaders like Priyanka Gandhi and John Brittas have raised serious questions and when the RSS’ own secretary had demanded reforms in the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the scandal-hit Ayodhya Ram Mandir, has accepted the resignation of general secretary Champat Rai and trust member Dr Anil Mishra eleven days after the duo were said to have submitted it.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad was among the first to react to the announcement, saying it will respect the decision of the Trust. One of its leaders, Bajrang Bagra, the international general secretary of the organisation, has been appointed as Rai’s successor.
Bagram, from Rajasthan’s Sikar district, is a trained Chartered Accountant and was the former Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO). He joined the VHP after his voluntary retirement from the Navratna company.
It was on June 26 when sources revealed that Rai and Mishra had submitted their resignations. Their decisions came after the UP police arrested eight people, including Ramshankar Yadav—ex-driver and confidant of Rai—for the alleged embezzlement of Rs 7-7.5 crore in donations and valuables from the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
The three-member UP police Special Investigation Team had reportedly seized ₹79.85 lakh from the accused. They had also questioned both Rai and Dr Mishra.
The scandal had rattled the BJP. The Opposition had sought a thorough and impartial probe into the affair.
Priyanka Gandhi, one of the leaders who voiced grave concerns in a not-so-subtle dig at Prime Minister Modi and the ruling establishment, said, “Political leaders who called upon people to donate for the Ram Temple should answer for what has happened. They also bear responsibility. Even very poor women contributed towards the temple. A proper investigation should be conducted.”
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, meanwhile, wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah questioning the autonomous status granted to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
“Trusts that enjoy unparalleled public faith must also uphold the highest standards of public transparency and accountability,” Brittas noted.
Brittas contended in his letter that the Trust administers one of the country’s most revered religious institutions, manages land acquired under a Parliamentary enactment and vested in it through a government notification, and receives contributions from tens of lakhs of devotees in India and abroad.
He said the Trust’s legal existence was inseparable from government action. He noted that, following the Supreme Court’s 9 November 2019 judgment, the Union Government framed the scheme governing the Trust under the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993, constituted the Trust, vested the acquired land in it through a Gazette notification, and determined its initial composition, with 12 of its 15 members nominated by the Centre.
He also highlighted that the government-approved scheme provides for representation by serving IAS officers nominated by both the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh Government, in addition to the District Magistrate of Ayodhya. Though these representatives may not have voting rights, he said that their inclusion reflected the Trust’s public character and the Government’s continuing role in its administration.
It was not just Brittas who sought that there be a re-look into the manner the Trust is run, the RSS too sought reforms in the functioning.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale too admitted that “the unfortunate incident of theft in the donation boxes kept at the Shri Ram Lala Temple in Ayodhya has deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of entire society and Ram devotees. We are all extremely pained and angered by this event.”
“It is essential to ensure that anyone found guilty after the investigation faces severe punishment,” he added.
Hosabale also called on the Trust to treat the episode as an extraordinary matter and undertake institutional reforms.
“It is natural for the entire Hindu society, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to expect the trust to treat this highly condemnable incident as an extraordinary matter and take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations. This is crucial to ensure that the faith and reverence of crores of Ram devotees in the Ayodhya temple remain unbroken and steadfast,” he said.
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
