RSS Pressure And Haridwar Meet Scripted Champat Rai And Anil Mishra's Temple Trust Exit

Ayodhya: The resignation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Mishra over the alleged Ram temple donation scam was not a sudden development. According to sources, the script for their exit was written during a meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Haridwar earlier this month, where senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders expressed serious concern over the controversy and the damage it was causing to the temple's image.

RSS Chief Sought Details on Donation Irregularities

Sources said a two-day VHP meeting was held in Haridwar on June 18 and 19 and was attended by Champat Rai and VHP leader Gopal Rao from Ayodhya. During the meeting, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale sought a detailed account of the alleged irregularities in the handling of donations and offerings at the Ram temple.

Senior RSS leaders reportedly reprimanded Champat Rai and Dr Anil Mishra over the controversy, saying the allegations had tarnished the image of the temple and provided ammunition to political opponents. According to sources, the RSS leadership made it clear that accountability had to be fixed and that the trust could not be seen as obstructing an impartial investigation.

Pressure Mounted on Rai After Haridwar Meeting

The pressure on Champat Rai increased after the Haridwar meeting. Senior RSS and VHP functionaries gradually distanced themselves from him and discussions began on whether the trust's top office-bearers should step aside to facilitate a fair probe.

The first public indication of this distancing came on June 19 when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Ayodhya. Sources said Champat Rai was kept away from the chief minister's engagements, an unusual development given his central role in temple affairs.

SIT Findings Fueled Social Media Criticism

The situation became more difficult after the Special Investigation Team's preliminary findings pointed to irregularities in the management of donations and offerings. Although the FIR registered by the police named eight accused, it did not include the trust's senior office-bearers, triggering criticism on social media and allegations from opposition parties that influential people were being protected.

According to sources, the final push came on the night of June 25. Senior RSS and VHP leaders remained in touch with Champat Rai and conveyed that stepping down was necessary to contain the controversy and protect the credibility of both the temple trust and the Sangh Parivar. The message, sources said, was unambiguous: resignations were needed so that the investigation could proceed without questions being raised over its impartiality.

Rai and Mishra Submitted Resignations on Friday

On Friday morning, after performing prayers, Champat Rai reached Mani Ram Das Ki Chhawani and called trustee Dr Anil Mishra there. Around 11 am, the two leaders submitted their resignations to trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.

The resignations also came against the backdrop of growing disquiet among seers and religious leaders. During the Haridwar meeting, several saints reportedly demanded not only an investigation into the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust but also an audit of the accounts of other bodies associated with the Ram temple movement.

The fallout from the donation controversy also forced the VHP to postpone its four-day Central Management Committee meeting, scheduled to begin in Ayodhya on June 26. The meeting, to be attended by representatives from 44 provinces, was deferred amid fears that the issue could dominate proceedings and deepen the embarrassment for the organisation.

For the RSS and VHP leadership, sources said, the resignation of Champat Rai and Dr Anil Mishra was seen as a necessary damage-control measure to protect the credibility of the Ram temple project, one of the Sangh's most significant ideological and political achievements.