CEO for God? Opposition questions Ram Mandir Trust revamp, demands action against 'large crocodiles'

A major political storm has erupted in India following the appointment of retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The structural shake-up, which includes three newly appointed trustees, has been met with fierce skepticism by opposition parties who accuse the government of using a military veteran’s credibility to whitewash a massive temple donation scandal.

The trust administration in Ayodhya announced the historic appointment on Wednesday, bringing in the 62-year-old veteran who previously led the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor. Mishra was selected from a massive pool of 5,585 applicants following a rigorous shortlisting process. Upon his appointment, Air Marshal Mishra expressed deep humility, stating: "I consider this a great fortune that they chose me from so many candidates. I also consider this the blessings of Lord Ram that after 43 years of service to the nation in the Air Force, He has given me the opportunity to serve Sri Ram Mandir and Sri Ram bhakts".

However, opposition leaders across India's political landscape have argued that reshuffling the leadership is an attempt to deflect attention from allegations of financial corruption.

The decision to establish a corporate structure for a religious body has drawn severe criticism from leftist and regional political leaders, who question the commercialization of faith.

CPI National Council Secretary Binoy Viswam launched a scathing attack, arguing that the creation of a CEO role is fundamentally at odds with genuine worship. Viswam remarked: "...CEO means Chief Executive Officer. Normally, we see it for corporate bodies and companies. Now, the BJP has appointed a CEO for Lord Ram. They want to make him an instrument for looting the people to mint money as profits. I think this is not the approach of true believers toward gods... We do not know the exact amount of gold, silver, or currency, and we do not know in what manner it vanished. That means, for the BJP, even gods are stepping ladders for looting the people and looting believers...".

Sharing this deep cynicism, CPM General Secretary M.A. Baby warned that public faith has been severely compromised by the scandal. "There was massive loot, and now everybody accepts that. Until and unless the real culprits are nabbed and given the necessary punishment, in future people would kind of desist from engaging in this kind of public loot of the donations given by Rama Bhaktas... If some Air Marshal and such people with some credibility are being brought on top of this institution, whether things can be sold or not, we have to wait and see," Baby stated.

UP Congress president Ajay Rai took a different angle of criticism, arguing that a secular administrative head is inappropriate for the sacred birthplace of Lord Ram. Rai insisted: “This is Lord Ram’s birthplace. Any Shankaracharya should have been appointed for this position”.

Demands to target the 'large crocodiles'

At the heart of the opposition’s outrage is the allegation that senior temple officials have escaped scrutiny in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, while junior staff face the brunt of the law. The controversy erupted after the alleged embezzlement of temple donations led to the arrest of eight people and forced the resignation of Champat Rai as the trust's general secretary.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, visiting Saharanpur, questioned why the senior management of the temple has been let off the hook. Yadav told reporters: "Do not ask me my opinion about this because you will forget the old issue because of the new thing". He added: "If the big people have got a clean chit, then why are the small employees still in jail? Get them released too".

This sentiment of uneven justice was echoed by AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan, who demanded that former members of the trust face immediate prosecution. Pathan alleged: "First of all, a conspiracy was hatched, and Babri Masjid was demolished. A grand Ram Mandir was built in its place. Then, a Ram Mandir Trust was formed. Those people ran a huge scam. My Hindu friends called me up and said that their devotion was murdered".

Pathan further accused the government of shielding powerful figures. "You are catching small fish and leaving large crocodiles. Where did Champat Rai go? People of the country are demanding accountability. BJP went on the back foot," Pathan said, adding: "It is good that they have brought in new people, but you cannot forgive the old ones. Action should be taken against them, and they should be jailed".

Critical gaps and unanswered questions

For many leaders, the military background of the new CEO does not resolve the mystery of the missing millions. Congress MP Kumari Selja expressed respect for Mishra’s personal record but remained highly skeptical of the broader governance. Selja observed: "I don't know about others, but the CEO is a (retired) Air Marshal. He was dedicated to protecting the nation. We hope that he will do good work. But we don't know the background of the others. We saw what happened earlier. There was theft right under their nose, before the Govt. There has been no answer to that so far. There was a so-called SIT. We still don't know where the crores of rupees went. It must have gone to just one place".

Ajay Rai also demanded concrete legal actions against the former leadership, naming several high-profile individuals. Rai asked: “Will appointing a new CEO or bringing in new people in the Trust bring back the donations by devotees? Has action been taken against the thieves?”. He further questioned: “Will the retired Air Marshal take action against these thieves and send them to jail? When will the action be taken and the stolen money be brought back?”. Rai specifically demanded action against Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, Govind Dev Giri, and Nripendra Misra.

Similarly, Samajwadi Party National Spokesperson Ashutosh Verma argued that structural reforms are desperately needed rather than cosmetic human resource changes. Verma noted: "If merely changing a CEO could transform a system, the entire country's administrative setup would have changed long ago; but that is not how governance works. The BJP should focus on addressing structural flaws within the administration rather than just replacing personnel. The Ram Mandir is a matter of faith for 1.4 billion people, yet we witnessed large-scale theft of donations under the BJP government's watch. It is inconceivable that the Chief Minister's Office was unaware of this... While appointing a CEO to tighten administration is a positive step, critical questions remain unanswered: Why has no FIR been lodged against Champat Rai? Why has no FIR been filed against Anil Mishra or Govind Giri?...".

RJD MP Manoj Jha summed up the prevailing opposition sentiment simply, describing the appointment as "a government decision," before emphasizing: “It's a government decision. What is more important is that nothing more has been heard on the robbery of faith, devotion, and sentiment that took place in the temple.”.