CM Dhami pays tribute to Ashok Singhal on birth centenary

Key Takeaways

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami offered floral tributes to Ashok Singhal at the Chief Minister's residence, Dehradun on September 27, 2026 .

Ashok Singhal , born September 27, 1926 , was the long-time international working president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and a central figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

CM Dhami credited Singhal with dedicating his life to 'social service and the preservation and promotion of Indian culture.' The tribute was held at the official CM residence, framing Singhal's legacy as a matter of state cultural memory, not merely party commemoration.

Uttarakhand's identity as 'devbhoomi' gives the tribute particular resonance; VHP-affiliated bodies are expected to hold centenary programmes nationally through 2026.

On what would have been his hundredth birthday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paused at the Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to offer floral tributes before a portrait of the late Ashok Singhal — the towering figure who led the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) for decades and shaped the course of Hindu cultural mobilisation in modern India.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Dhami said that Singhal 'dedicated his entire life to social service and the preservation and promotion of Indian culture.' He added that Singhal's contribution to 'organising society and spreading cultural consciousness will always be remembered' — a sentiment the Chief Minister's Office shared on X along with images from the tribute ceremony at the CM's official residence.

Who was Ashok Singhal — and why does the centenary matter?

Ashok Singhal, born September 27, 1926, rose through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh before becoming the defining face of the VHP from the 1980s onward. He was central to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that shaped Indian politics through the late twentieth century and remained the VHP's international working president until his death in November 2015. For his followers, he was not just an organiser but a civilisational voice — someone who argued that Hindu culture required both preservation in temples and expression in public life. His birth centenary in 2026 falls at a moment when the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya — a cause he championed for the better part of his adult life — now stands consecrated, lending the anniversary a particular poignancy for the Hindu right.

BJP governments and the culture of official tributes

Dhami's gesture is consistent with a pattern seen across BJP-governed states: the formal, official marking of anniversaries of figures associated with the VHP and the Sangh Parivar. By hosting the tribute at the Chief Minister's residence rather than a party office, the Uttarakhand government signals that Singhal's legacy is framed not merely as partisan heritage but as a matter of state-level cultural memory. Uttarakhand, home to some of Hinduism's holiest pilgrimage sites — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Haridwar, Rishikesh — has a political and cultural identity deeply intertwined with the themes Singhal championed. For CM Dhami, the centenary tribute is also a reaffirmation of Uttarakhand's self-image as a 'devbhoomi,' or land of the gods. As VHP and affiliated bodies are expected to organise centenary programmes across the country through the year, Sunday's ceremony at the CM's residence sets an official tone — honouring a man whose centenary his admirers believe the times have finally caught up with.

Point of View

A pattern increasingly common in BJP-governed states. The gesture arrives as the Ram Mandir stands consecrated in Ayodhya, completing a movement Singhal spent decades driving, which lends the centenary a symbolic weight beyond routine commemoration. For Uttarakhand in particular, a state that markets itself as 'devbhoomi,' aligning official state functions with VHP-linked figures reinforces a broader political-cultural identity project. The centenary tribute also previews what may be a sustained national calendar of Singhal commemorations by Sangh Parivar bodies through the remainder of 2026.

NationPress

27 Sept 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Ashok Singhal?

Ashok Singhal, born September 27, 1926, was the long-time international working president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). He was a leading figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and championed Hindu cultural causes in India until his death in November 2015.

Why did CM Dhami pay tribute to Ashok Singhal today?

September 27, 2026 marks Ashok Singhal's birth centenary — the 100th anniversary of his birth. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid floral tributes at the Dehradun CM residence to honour his memory on this milestone.

What did CM Dhami say about Ashok Singhal?

CM Dhami said Singhal 'dedicated his entire life to social service and the preservation and promotion of Indian culture,' and that his contribution to 'organising society and spreading cultural consciousness will always be remembered.'

What is the VHP and what was Ashok Singhal's role in it?

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) is a Hindu religious and cultural organisation founded in 1964. Ashok Singhal served as its international working president and was one of its most prominent leaders, central to the movement to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Where was the tribute to Ashok Singhal held?

The tribute was held at the official Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on Sunday, September 27, 2026.