BREAKING NEWS: First meeting of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, announced by PM Narendra Modi, to take place in Prayagraj

NEW DELHI: The first meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, which was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, will take place in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh. Zee Media sources said on Friday that though a date for the first meeting of the newly-announced trust has not been finalised but it is expected to take place in ten days time during which chairman, general secretary and treasurer and other office-bearers will also be elected.

A bank account will also be opened in the name of the trust for accepting donations for the construction of Ram temple will be accepted. During the meeting, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the head of the Ram Janmbhumi Nyas and the most respected seer in Ayodhya, may be elected as the chairman of the trust.

There are speculations that senior VHP leader Champat Rai may be included in the trust as the general secretary. Speaking in Lok Sabha on Thursday, PM Modi announced the setting up of an independent trust to finalise the details for the construction of a Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.

Sources asserted that the trust will comprise a total of 15 members - 9 permanent and 6 nominated members. The body, to be called Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, has been formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court, pointed out the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha.

While the announcement has triggered celebrations with temples in Ayodhya being lit with earthen lamps and lights, there is resentment among a section of seers, saints and Hindutva groups. Heads of several religious places and Shankaracharyas, who had lobbied hard in the last three months to push their names in the trust, are reportedly disappointed.

The name of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the head of the Ram Janmbhumi Nyas who had led the Temple movement for decades, is missing from the Trust. According to sources, K Parasaran is the first member of the trust and Ayodhya District Magistrate (DM) Anuj Kumar Jha has been named the convening member. 

The seven other permanent members are - Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Maharaj, Parmanand Jimaharaja Haridwar, Swami Govindgiri Ji Pune, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, Dr Anil Mishra Homeopathic Ayodhya, Dr Kamaleshwar Chaupal Patna, and Mahant Dhinedra Das Nirmohi Akhara. 

The six nominated members will be selected by the board of trust.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust will take all decisions for the construction of a massive and grand Ram Temple on the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, added PM Modi. The decision to form the trust was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

The 67.703 acres of land along with the inside and outside courtyard will be transferred to the Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra for the construction of the Ram Temple.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification announcing that the office of the trust will be in New Delhi.  As per the home ministry, the trust's registered office is at R-20, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi.

Referring to the Supreme Court order on the Ayodhya case on November 9, 2019, PM Modi said the judgement was in favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the decision to form the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust. According to the Supreme Court order, the Sunni Waqf Board will be given 5 acres of land in Ayodhya, announced the Prime Minister.

"On November 9, 2019, I was in Punjab for Kartarpur Sahib Corridor's inauguration. During the inauguration ceremony, the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya was delivered and I got to know about the historic decision. Uttar Pradesh government has already given its approval for giving 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board," he said.

Announcing another major decision taken by the Union Cabinet, he declared the government will also develop the area around the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya as a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction.

In a related development, the Uttar Pradesh government also issued a notification saying the government has already issued an allotment letter of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board, as ordered by the Supreme Court in its November 8, 2019 verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute.

Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told the media that five-acre plot for the mosque is in Dhannipur village on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from Ayodhya.