A century after the birth of one of modern India's most consequential Hindu organisers, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav joined religious leaders and community representatives on Sunday, 27 September 2026 to inaugurate the birth centenary year of Ashok Singhal, the former international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and a central architect of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

The man the movement called its master-builder

Ashok Singhal spent decades at the helm of the VHP, the Hindu organisation founded in 1964 to consolidate Hindu society across India and internationally. When the formal Ram Janmabhoomi agitation gathered pace in the early 1980s, it was Singhal who provided the organisational spine — mobilising volunteers, coordinating religious figures, and carrying the movement's demand for a temple at Ayodhya into the national mainstream. 'श्रीराम जन्मभूमि मंदिर आंदोलन के प्रमुख शिल्पकार' ('the principal architect of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple movement') is how Dr. Yadav described him — and the title captures a legacy that outlasted Singhal's own lifetime.

CM Yadav's tribute, posted on X, called Singhal's work of uniting Hindu society at home and abroad 'unprecedented', adding that he had dedicated his entire life to society. The inauguration of the birth centenary year signals a year-long calendar of commemorative programmes planned by the VHP and allied organisations.

Saints, scholars, and organisers on one platform

The gathering brought together a notable cross-section of religious and social leadership. Present were Swami Shri Rampravesh Devacharyaji Maharaj, peethadhishwar of Aadyavarah Ghat and Gufa Mandir Dham; Shri Sudesh Shandilya ji, peethadhishwar of Karunadham Ashram; Vedanta saint Shri Lal Sai ji; Pujya Buddh Bhushan Bhadant ji; VHP central joint organisation general secretary Shri Vinayak Rao Deshpande; and ABVMS national working president Shri Chaudhary O.P. Godia, along with other dignitaries and public representatives.

The breadth of the platform — spanning saints from multiple traditions, Buddhist representation, and VHP functionaries — reflects the inclusive register that Singhal himself cultivated during his decades of organisational work.

BJP's enduring bond with the Ram Janmabhoomi legacy

For BJP-governed states, participation in events tied to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and its key figures has become a consistent feature of political culture. Madhya Pradesh, under CM Yadav, has sustained this engagement through inaugurations, commemorations, and cultural programmes that honour figures central to the movement. The birth centenary of Singhal offers a full year of such occasions, and Sunday's inauguration sets the tone: measured tribute, broad coalition, and a clear line drawn from the movement's founding energy to the temple that now stands at Ayodhya.

A life spent building — now, a centenary spent remembering.