by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
A Lokmat Exclusive Report
Modi to head Ram Temple Trust !
Mega Trust to be formed in January
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec 18
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may head the Ayodhya Temple Trust being set up in January for the construction of the “sky-touching Ram Temple.” The Trust will be set up immediately after the “Kharmas” (inauspicious month) which ends on January 13, according to the Hindu calendar.
If reports emanating from North Block are to be believed, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is busy finalising the composition of the historic Ram Temple Trust. He has been insisting that Prime Minister Modi alone should head the trust.
Amit Shah is busy holding parleys with the other stake-holders and studying various Temple trusts existing in the country. The Sri Somnath Temple in Gujrat, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine (Jammu) and Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (Puri) are governed by trusts. But they all are under respective state governments barring the Somnath Temple Trust where four trustees are appointed by the State and four by the Centre. Interestingly, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are members of Somnath Temple Trust as representatives of the state government. The trust is headed by Keshubhai Patel which has 8 trustees. But the number of trustees in the remaining temples are large.
The Supreme Court had directed the Centre in November to create a “trust within a period of three months from the date of the judgment with a Board of Trustees or any other appropriate body”. The SC also empowered the Central government to frame scheme for the functioning of the Ram Temple Trust and construction of a temple.
A view has emerged in the government that Ram Temple Trust should be a Central government body with Narendra Modi as Life Trustee. The Centre should not delegate its powers to any other body or State of UP. After all, it was under Modi's leadership that the dream of “sky-touching Ram Temple” will be realised by 2024.
Home Minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, nominees of the RSS and VHP, K Parasaran (who fought Ram Temple case in SC) and others may be inducted. A representative of the Nirmohi Akhara is to be inducted as per the direction of the SC.
It is not clear whether L K Advani or Dr M M Joshi will be included in the Trust. No one is sure whether nominee of the Shiv Sena will now be inducted in the trust after parting of ways with the BJP.
Ends
