Controversies over paper leaks, irregularities in the conduct of examinations and allegations of theft of offerings made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be among the key issues discussed at the upcoming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh meeting in Karnataka, people familiar with the matter said.
Senior officers of the RSS will gather in Hubballi, Karnataka, from July 7 to attend the annual Prant Pracharak Baithak festival, they added.
“The three-day meeting, scheduled from July 10-12, will take stock of organizational issues and activities planned as part of the ongoing Sangh centenary celebrations. However, the avoidable controversy over Ayodhya (other than donations) and public anger over paper leaks will be discussed, as this has a direct impact on the Sangh as well as the ruling BJP,” said an official familiar with the details, requesting anonymity.
The meeting, which will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Sangh national office-bearers and BJP president, will take stock of the serious allegations leveled against Champat Rai, the senior functionary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad who has offered his resignation from the Ayodhya Temple Trust.
Although the Sangh and VHP leadership have distanced themselves from the issue, stating that the SIT investigation will reveal the truth, there is panic within the Sangh over the delay in taking action, a second functionary said.
“he [Champat Rai] He was the Secretary General of [Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra] Trust, and a section of Sangh leaders feel that this is a case of crime of commission versus omission. “Action should have been taken as soon as murmurs of irregularities surfaced…The allegations have cast a shadow over the struggle for Ramjanmabhoomi Andolan led by the Sangh,” added this person, who also requested anonymity.
The trust will meet on July 7 to discuss the resignations of Ray and trustee Anil Mishra.
The VHP, an offshoot of the RSS that was at the forefront of the Ramajanmabhoomi movement, also refrained from defending Rai. In a statement, Alok Kumar, International President of VHP, said the Fund is an independent body and the decisions taken by Rai as Secretary General are the responsibility of the Fund itself and neither the VHP, RSS nor the central government can be held responsible.
However, this explanation did not satisfy the opposition, which redoubled its efforts to target the government. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh posted on X: “PM Modi’s silence on the looting at Shri Ram Mandir is a direct assault on the religious faith of millions of people in the country. The Modi government formed the trust without any transparent norms or public consultation, including the RSS members in it. Then the entire trust was also kept outside RTI… Modi ji, break your silence.”
The issue is expected to turn into a political controversy before the Uttar Pradesh elections, which could be held late this year or early next year. The Sangh wants its cadres to manage the damage.
“The allegations (of misappropriation of donations) are very serious and have damaged the tapasya (penance) that our leaders did for decades to build the temple. The other issue is that it has weakened the campaign that the temples should be run by the Hindu Samaj and not the government,” the second employee said.
While the Sangh is expected to work out a model for temple management, he is also concerned about unrest among students. A third employee said that as the Sang strives to expand its global reach and build relationships with a younger demographic, there is pressure on the organization to take a stand on the issue of paper leaks.
The third official, who requested anonymity, said: “The government has adjusted things and ensures zero tolerance for such incidents, but there is no denying the resonance of this issue on the ground. All strata of society are affected…”
Prant Pracharak Baithak is expected to be renamed next year as the Sangh has announced the replacement of Prant (Regional) Pracharaks with State Pracharak and Sambhag (Division) Pracharaks. While the restructuring was announced earlier this year, the process of designing modalities for the revamped organizational structure is underway and is likely to be announced in the upcoming Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha in March next year. The meeting will be renamed later.
