Champat Rai Back In Race For General Secretary Post In Ram Temple Trust After VHP Meeting Gives Him Clean Chit

Champat Rai, who resigned from his position as general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in June amid allegations of mismanagement, is once again in the running for the role. This time, his bid for the position has been given a clean bill of health by influential seers in Ayodhya. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had cleared Rai of any wrongdoing at its July 22 national meeting, followed by a meeting of prominent seers at Maniram Das Chhawani a day later, where Rai was declared innocent.

Since then, Rai has been actively engaging with the seer community, visiting temples across Ayodhya and discussing the temple's operations with mahants and seers. This outreach is seen as an effort to rebuild trust among religious leaders before the trust makes a final decision on his reappointment. Swami Rajkumar Das, a key figure in the Ram temple's religious committee, expressed his confidence in Rai, noting his significant contributions to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the temple's construction.

Despite his age of 81 and simple lifestyle, Rai's supporters are defending him against financial irregularities, pointing out that he has no personal financial interest in the trust. Another contender in the race for the general secretary post is VHP international general secretary Bajrang Lal Bagda, whose name has also been put forward for consideration.