New Delhi / Yogi Adityanath should head temple trust: Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas

Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) head Mahant Nritya Gopal Das on Monday said the Nyas wanted Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to head the trust that the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to set up for construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

He also claimed that the blueprint of the trust was ready and several names had been suggested for its membership.

“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath could head the trust in his capacity as Mahant of the Gorakhnath Temple and not as CM,” he said.

“The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas wants Yogi Adityanath to head the Trust,” he added.

“All discussions about formation of the trust and its probable members have already taken place. The proposed trust could be on the pattern suggested by the VHP,” he said.

Besides being the chief minister, Adityanath is also mahant (head priest) of the prestigious Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur and heads the Goraksha Peeth, which has played a prominent role in the Ram Temple movement.

Mahant Avaidyanath, the guru (mentor) of Adityanath, was closely associated with the temple movement also.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das also said the Nyas will have a prominent role to play in the proposed trust but did not divulge the details.

He said: “Other members of the trust could be Champat Rai (VHP vice-president) and Om Prakash Singhal (VHP treasurer).”

After the death of VHP leader Ashok Singhal in 2015, Rai has been overseeing the activities of the VHP and its frontal organizations.

Both Rai and Om Prakash Singhal are based in New Delhi.

On being asked whether any Muslim or Iqbal Ansari, a prominent Muslim litigant in the

just resolved Ayodhya dispute, could also be a member of the trust, Nritya Gopal Das evaded the question.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, heir to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said, “The trust for construction of the Ram Mandir will operate under the supervision of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.”

Kamal Nayan Das returned to Ayodhya on Monday after representing the Nyas in a meeting with national security advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Sunday. Several Hindu and Muslim religious leaders were present at that meeting.