Ram Temple Trust: Nritya Gopal Das elected President, Champat Rai Gen Secy

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was on Wednesday elected as the President of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, in a meeting held in the national capital to formulate plans for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Members were of the view that the construction can be started in April. The temple construction will take three-four years, sources said.

Champat Rai was elected as the General Secretary and Shri Govindji Giri Dev was named the Treasurer of the Trust  The meeting was held at the residence of K Parasaran, the head of the trust. 

'People's emotions will be adhered to. The temple will be constructed as soon as possible', ANI quoted Nritya Gopal Das as saying. Efforts will be made to increase its height and width, he added. Das is chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a trust formed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), for the construction of the temple, while Rai is a vice-president of the VHP.

In other key decisions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's former principal secretary Nripendra Misra was handed over the charge to head the temple construction committee of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.  The trust was constituted by the government after a Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya land dispute case in November last year. 

In the first meeting, the members were expected to finalise the date of construction but no such decision was announced. Modi had announced the formation of the 15-member trust in Parliament on February 5. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has seven members, five nominated members, and three trustees. All the 15 members attended the meeting of the trust on Wednesday. The next meeting is likely to be held in a fortnight in Ayodhya.

The members of the trust also decided to open an account in Ayodhya's State Bank of India branch for donations for the Ram temple construction, Rai told reporters after the meeting.
 

During the meeting as many as nine resolutions were passed, including one thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for their active role in the entire process.
 

The trustees also remembered all those who sacrificed their lives for this noble cause and passed a resolution in their memory, Rai said.

In a tweet after the meeting, Nadda said he salutes the entire Saint community, social organisations and activists associated with the movement and the people of the country, who played an important role in bringing this struggle of 500 years to its final stage.

"This is a big step towards realising our resolve and feelings towards Ram temple," Nadda said. 

All the 15 members attended the meeting of the trust on Wednesday. The next meeting is likely to be held in a fortnight in Ayodhya.