E-Paper
RSS, VHP leaders to meet Ayodhya seers amid Ram Temple donation theft controversy
The meeting is seen as part of an attempt to contain the political fallout from the irregularities ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due in early 2027
Top functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ideological fount, and its affiliate Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) will meet around 300 seers in Ayodhya on Thursday against the backdrop of alleged irregularities in the collection of donations at the Ram Temple.
The meeting is seen as part of an attempt to contain the political fallout from the irregularities ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due in early 2027. People aware of the matter said it has been organised to reassure the Hindu community shaken by the donation theft.
Around 300 seers, representing various akharas, or Hindu monastic orders, and religious traditions, are expected to gather for the meeting at 3pm.
RSS leaders Bhaiya Ji Joshi and Krishna Gopal, along with Nritya Gopal Das, the chairman of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, which manages the Ram Temple, are among those expected to attend the meeting.
RSS functionaries said the meeting will focus on the action taken so far, findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to look into the irregularities, and steps to remove confusion and mistrust among devotees. They added that a roadmap will be drawn up based on inputs from the saints as part of an RSS and VHP attempt to assuage the concerns of the BJP’s core Hindu support base.
The alleged donation collection irregularities remain a major concern for the RSS and its network of organisations, or Sangh Parivar, as the BJP hopes to return to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third time.
The state government formed the three-member SIT to probe the matter, and all eight accused have been arrested.
Champat Rai, the Trust general secretary, and Anil Mishra, a trustee, submitted their resignations. Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, named as the alleged kingpin, worked as Rai’s driver. The arrested accused also include two of Mishra’s relatives.
The construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been a core ideological issue for the Sangh Parivar. There have been concerns within the BJP about the fallout of the issue ahead of the assembly elections.
Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has promised to restore Ayodhya’s glory if voted back to power. The BJP has countered him by reminding Yadav of the crackdown on the movement for the construction of the Ram Temple in place of the Babri Masjid during SP’s rule in the 1990s.
Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 of the 543 lawmakers to Parliament, is the most important of the five states going to the polls next year.
The Opposition has questioned how the BJP governments, both at the Centre and the state, can disown their responsibilities, citing their role in forming the trust for the temple construction and picking people associated with the Sangh Parivar as its members.
LK Advani was the leader of a fledgling BJP when he made the Ram Temple the party’s core issue. The BJP’s seats jumped to 89 in the 1989 national elections from two in 1984. Advani undertook a 10,000km campaign from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya for the temple construction, seeping the BJP’s message through the countryside.
The BJP lost the Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections after the construction and inauguration of the temple in Ayodhya. The SP registered its best performance in the polls, bagging 37 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP’s seats in the state fell from 62 in 2019 to 33, as the party’s overall tally dropped below the majority mark in Parliament, making it dependent on allies for retaining power.
