Won’t allow govt control of Ayodhya Ram temple at any cost, says VHP

At a time when the debate on changes in the administrative structure of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is gaining momentum, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday, July 6, 2026, reiterated its opposition to government control of the shrine. However, the organization said it has no objection to the appointment of a professional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provided the person is not a serving bureaucrat and is accountable to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

To talk HinduVHP joint general secretary Surender Jain said, “We are against government control of the Ram Temple. We will not allow it at any cost. This has been our stand all along, not only for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya but for all other Hindu temples in India.”

Mr Jain said the organisation, which has long campaigned to free Hindu temples from government control, was not opposed to appointing a professional to oversee the day-to-day management of the temple.

“We are not against appointing a professional to manage the day-to-day affairs of Ram Mandir, but this person should not be a serving bureaucrat and should be accountable to the Foundation and not the government,” he said, adding that the CEO should be appointed by the Foundation rather than the government.

Mr. Jain’s remarks came on the day Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted the resignation of its general secretary Champat Rai amid the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged donation theft.

The call for appointment of a CEO was first made by Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman and former IAS officer Nripendra Misra, who advocated adopting a Tirupati-like model with a professional CEO to oversee day-to-day operations.

“Nobody wants the trust or its charter to be changed, but there should be a CEO who has experience of working in Uttar Pradesh,” Mr. Misra said, adding that such an officer should work within the Trust.