Ram Temple has a new mascot

Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, a distinguished defence veteran, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Ram Temple, in an effort to restore the integrity of the Trust, which took a beating following the donation thefts, leading to the resignation of key functionaries including Champat Rai. The ruling dispensation has been under tremendous pressure ever since the scam came to light some months ago, and there is wide apprehension that the entire issue could have an overwhelming impact on the forthcoming elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The Ram Janmabhoomi agenda was principally responsible for the BJP coming to power, and the theft matter continues to haunt the RSS and its associated organizations. Devotees have been appalled that all this could happen at the sacred place. Although the Special Investigation Team appointed by the UP government has submitted its report leading to the arrest of some small-time employees, yet the questions continue to be asked. The Opposition parties have made serious allegations against the top leadership of the Sangh and therefore the decision to clean up the Mandir administration has been taken out of this concern. Air Marshal Mishra is a man of unimpeachable integrity with a very distinguished service record in the Indian Air Force. The government hopes that his taking over as the CEO, shall help in restoring the people's faith in the Trust, and erase the blemish of the donation thefts and related scams. This is not going to be easy since the Ram Temple itself has a very high emotional and spiritual quotient. The devotees can be very unforgiving, and any attempt to cover up for those involved, can easily backfire. One pertinent point being raised is that the appointment of a defence veteran is an admission by the Sangh that there is nobody of unblemished integrity in its ranks who could stand up and be accepted by the general people as the chief custodian of the temple. It is in a way, an expression of no confidence of the government in various organizations as well as the civil services, that are responsible for providing clean and efficient administration in the country. There is another dimension to the appointment since it for some people seeks to give a religious colour to the armed forces, which are completely professional in their approach and work with the singular objective of serving the country. Introducing the religion aspect is both uncalled for and unnecessary. This is of course not to deny the armed forces personnel their right to have their own faiths and practices, but these should never supersede the primary objective of protecting and serving the nation. The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have officers and men from all religions whose faith has never stood in their way of performing their duties. At different times, the three wings have been headed by officers belonging to different religions. The gallantry medals list also bears testimony to the commitment of the officers and men to the country first, and everything else later. The long list of Param Vir Chakras and other gallantry awards provides evidence to the secular nature of the armed forces. The list amongst others includes Lt Col Tarapore, Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, Abdul Hamid, Somnath Sharma and many more valiant and gallant officers and men. While the credentials of Air Marshal Mishra are beyond any doubt, the question is about those who have appointed him. The Opposition charge is that the Air Force veteran has been roped in with an eye on the UP election. The Sangh is extremely worried that the consequences of the donation theft can have serious political ramifications and thus have sent a message by appointing a Brahmin with a clean image, who also has strong nationalist credentials, having been a part of the Operation Sindoor exercise. The scam in the temple is indefensible in the eyes of many devotees and the fallout of their disappointment may be seen when the voting takes place. It is another matter that both Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi have to work extremely hard in order to wrest the state government from the BJP. Yogi Adityanath is in complete control and enjoys a very good reputation. Therefore, the problem could also be from within the Sangh Parivar where a power struggle is on for the post-Modi political scenario, and the UP CM, particularly if he returns to power for the third term, can be a formidable player. A lot of indications of which way, national politics, especially of the ruling dispensation may go would be provided when the BJP Parliamentary Board is reconstituted and the much-speculated Union Cabinet reshuffle takes place. All eyes would be on who has been excluded and who all have been brought in. In addition, who would handle the key ministries. An attempt could be made to bring in younger people in the Council of Ministers in order to target Generation Z. However, there are conjectures on whether Narendra Modi, the undisputed leader of the BJP, would appoint his deputy, thus paving the way for the road ahead. The appointment of a deputy as well as not having a declared number two would all have their own political meaning. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, have so far been devising the party's political strategies and their success rate shows, that they have their fingers on the pulse. Appointment of Air Marshal Mishra is also perhaps a part of the strategy for the UP polls. Between us.