In this, the latest interview in our series of conversations with prominent monks, intellectuals and journalists, on the theft of donations from the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Suman Gupta, editor of Ayodhya's leading Hindi daily “Jan Morcha” exposes the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of India's ruling, right-wing, Hindu-nationalist, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the scandal. She was interviewed by senior journalist and author Arun Sinha.
A long-time resident of Ayodhya, Gupta worked as a reporter who had continuously followed the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation to build the temple. She closely observed the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992 and the construction of the temple. She makes several revelations about the unethical acts of the RSS and its associate organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Gupta says there were allegations in the past about the VHP not giving proper accounts of the donations collected and the gifts of consecrated bricks made out of gold and silver, and studded with diamonds, that were sent by people from across the country and the world, for the Ram Temple. Before the incidents of theft of donations came to light in June 2026, people of Ayodhya were aware of and would talk about the corrupt practices of those managed the affairs of the Ram Temple. But these reports were not allowed to come out into the open. The management of the temple trust ensured that negative information did not enter the public domain. The temple trust was managed by the trio of Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao under the overall supervision of Nripendra Mishra, former principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She says the RSS took control of the activities of the temple from the very outset. The Nirmohi Akhada, a Bhakti order, based in Ayodhya had been fighting for a long time for a site to build a temple at the birthplace of the mythical Lord Ram (the Ram Janmabhoomi) where the Babri Mosque stood until it was demolished.
At the Ram Chabutra inside the premises of the Babri mosque, the monks of the Nirmohi Akhada would preside over religious rituals there. Even the Supreme Court in its 2019 judgement said that the Nirmohi Akhada should be given a place in the trust managing the temple. However, Gupta points out that the RSS conspired to place a pliable monk of the Nirmohi Akhada, Mahant Dinendra Das, in the trust ignoring the claim of the council of monks of the Akhada. She asserts that the RSS and BJP have no right to “corner” Lord Ram for themselves. “Ram belongs to everybody, to (Muslim philosopher-poet Kabir), to common people, and even to atheists,” Gupta argues.
