CM Sai inaugurates Ashok Singhal birth centenary year in Raipur
Synopsis
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the birth centenary year of VHP stalwart Ashok Singhal at Niranjan Dharmashala, Raipur on September 27 — opening a year-long series of commemorations honouring the architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Key Takeaways
CM Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the centenary year celebration of Ashok Singhal on September 27, 2026 .
The event was held at Niranjan Dharmashala in Raipur , Chhattisgarh.
Ashok Singhal led the Vishva Hindu Parishad as president from 1980 to 2011 and was a central figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement .
He was among the architects of the 1990 Ram Rath Yatra , a watershed moment in the Ayodhya campaign.
The Raipur inauguration is expected to be the first of a series of national and state-level centenary events through the year.
A century after the birth of one of India's most consequential Hindu nationalist figures, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday, September 27, 2026, inaugurated the centenary year celebration honouring Ashok Singhal — the late Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief whose decades of grassroots mobilisation helped shape the Ayodhya temple movement. The ceremony was held at Niranjan Dharmashala in Raipur, the state capital.
Who was Ashok Singhal — and why a centenary matters
Ashok Singhal joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a young pracharak (full-time organiser) and went on to lead the Vishva Hindu Parishad as its president from 1980 to 2011 — three decades during which the VHP became the public-facing engine of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. He was among the architects of the 1990 Ram Rath Yatra, which mobilised millions across the country and pushed the Ayodhya cause from a local dispute to the centre of Indian political life. His centenary year, therefore, is not merely a memorial calendar event for the Sangh Parivar — it is a moment to re-anchor the contemporary BJP's ideological story to the generation that built it.Raipur's Niranjan Dharmashala as the inaugural stage
The choice of Raipur — a state where the BJP returned to power in 2023 with Chief Minister Sai at the helm — carries quiet organisational significance. BJP chief ministers and senior leaders routinely preside over birth centenary and memorial events for RSS and VHP stalwarts, reinforcing what the party sees as an unbroken ideological lineage between the Sangh ecosystem and elected governance. By inaugurating the centenary year in Chhattisgarh, Sai places the state squarely within that national commemorative arc.What comes next in the centenary calendar
The Raipur inauguration is expected to be the opening chapter of a wider year-long series of VHP-led and BJP-associated programmes honouring Singhal's memory — likely including national-level events, organisational conclaves, and references in party forums. For Chhattisgarh, where the BJP has built strong ties with Sangh-affiliated networks, these programmes also double as outreach moments in the party's organisational calendar. A man who spent his life building a movement never lived to see its most consequential outcome. One hundred years on, the movement is making sure no one forgets him.Point of View
Such commemorations are rarely purely ceremonial; they serve as internal mobilisation signals and public affirmations of the Hindutva ideological lineage. With Chhattisgarh having returned to BJP rule only in 2023, CM Sai's prominent role in the event also reinforces his standing within the Sangh ecosystem. The centenary year is likely to function as a year-long thread running through BJP and VHP organisational calendars nationally.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ashok Singhal and what is he known for?
Ashok Singhal was a senior RSS pracharak and long-time president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) from 1980 to 2011 . He is best known for leading the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and was a key organiser of the 1990 Ram Rath Yatra that brought the Ayodhya temple cause to the centre of Indian politics.
What is the Ashok Singhal birth centenary year inauguration?
The event marks the formal opening of a year-long series of commemorations to honour what would have been the 100th birth anniversary of Ashok Singhal . The inauguration ceremony was held on September 27, 2026 at Niranjan Dharmashala in Raipur , inaugurated by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai .
Where was the Ashok Singhal centenary event held in Chhattisgarh?
The centenary year inauguration was held at Niranjan Dharmashala in Raipur , the capital of Chhattisgarh.
What was Ashok Singhal's role in the Ayodhya movement?
Ashok Singhal was one of the principal organisers of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation from the 1980s. He spearheaded the VHP's campaign for the Ayodhya temple and was instrumental in the 1990 Ram Rath Yatra , which mobilised mass support across India for the movement.
Why is CM Vishnu Deo Sai attending VHP and RSS commemoration events?
CM Vishnu Deo Sai has a long association with the RSS and the BJP's Sangh Parivar network. BJP chief ministers regularly preside over birth centenary and memorial events for Sangh stalwarts as part of the party's tradition of honouring its ideological heritage and maintaining ties with affiliated organisations.
