Nripendra Mishra Says Govt Won't Interfere in Functioning of Ram Temple Trust, New CEO
New Delhi: The chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, Nripendra Mishra, has claimed the theft of money donated to the Ram Temple has left "everyone" feeling "not just apologetic" but also humiliated and let down, and that the new chief of the temple trust will see no interference from the government as they fulfil their remit.
As The Wire noted in its piece on who the trustees of the temple trust are, Mishra is an influential bureaucrat who has served as principal secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His appointment to the trust after he had been the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India required the President of India to sign an ordinance changing the appointment rulebook.
In an interaction reported on by Hindustan Times on July 11, among others, Mishra said that the issue is a "disgrace, and we all are not just apologetic but feeling humiliated and let down by it."
“This is now an issue about temple management, and the management would surely be improved to guard against a repeat of this alleged donation theft,” he also said.
Mishra has been among those who have pushed for the appointment of a CEO for the temple trust.
The trust has thus constituted a three-member committee comprising retired Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lt General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and Bharatiya Janata Party politician Suresh Haware to recommend names for the CEO’s post.
“The new CEO will also oversee financial arrangements,” Mishra told reporters in Ayodhya, adding that there won’t be any “government interference” in the functioning of the trust or its CEO.
PTI reported Mishra as having added that among the new CEO’s initial responsibilities will be ensuring that devotees visiting Ayodhya receive all necessary amenities and maintaining their trust in the temple.
“In a way, the CEO will work as an assistant of the trust, sans government interference,” Mishra said.
Mishra also reportedly said no when asked if he would attend the meetings of the committee tasked with recommending names for the CEO post.
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