CM Samrat Choudhary at Ashok Singhal Birth Centenary Launch
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Union Home Minister Amit Shah jointly inaugurated the birth centenary year of VHP president Ashok Singhal in New Delhi on September 27, 2026, marking a year-long commemoration of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement's key architect.
Key Takeaways
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary attended the inauguration of Ashok Singhal's birth centenary year in New Delhi on September 27, 2026 .
Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the ceremony, signalling the BJP's formal weight behind the commemoration.
Ashok Singhal , born in 1926 and VHP president for decades, was the principal organisational force behind the Ram Janmabhoomi movement ; he died in November 2015 .
The centenary year runs through 2027 , with state-level events and publications planned across the country.
The commemoration arrives after the completion of the Ram temple at Ayodhya , lending it heightened symbolic significance within the Sangh Parivar.
A movement, a legacy, and a centenary — Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary joined Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday, September 27, 2026, for the inauguration of the birth centenary year of Ashok Singhal, the towering Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader who shaped modern India's Hindu nationalist landscape.
Who Was Ashok Singhal — and Why a Centenary Now
Ashok Singhal, born in 1926 and president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for decades, was the principal organisational force behind the Ram Janmabhoomi movement — the campaign that culminated, years after his death in November 2015, in the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. His centenary year, running through 2027, arrives at a moment when that temple stands complete, lending the commemoration a particular symbolic weight for the Sangh Parivar.
For the BJP and VHP, Singhal represents ideological continuity — a link between the grassroots mobilisations of the 1980s and 1990s and the governmental achievements of the present decade. State-level events and publications are planned across the centenary year, reinforcing that narrative in every major region.
Amit Shah Leads the Inauguration in Delhi
The New Delhi inauguration ceremony was presided over by Amit Shah, whose presence as the country's senior-most Home Minister signals the centrality of this commemoration within the broader BJP-RSS ecosystem. Shah's regular participation in VHP and RSS memorial events underscores the party's deliberate effort to honour the ideological architects of the Hindutva movement alongside its elected milestones.
CM Samrat Choudhary attended in his capacity as both Bihar's chief minister and a senior BJP leader. His presence — flagged live on his official social-media handle — placed Bihar's top executive squarely within a national-level ideological commemoration.
A Pattern of Organised Memory
BJP and VHP leaders have systematically elevated the centenary and memorial observances of RSS ideologues since the 2010s, treating them as occasions to consolidate cadre identity and articulate civilisational continuity. Singhal's centenary fits that pattern — but carries extra resonance because it is being observed in the post-Ayodhya era he spent his life working toward.
With state-level events expected to ripple outward through 2027, the New Delhi inauguration is the opening note of a year-long commemoration that will keep Singhal's name and legacy at the forefront of Sangh Parivar messaging.
The centenary year has begun — and the party has made clear it intends to mark every chapter of it.
Point of View
Led by Amit Shah and attended by state-level BJP leaders like Samrat Choudhary, follows a deliberate pattern of institutionalising the memory of Sangh Parivar ideologues into the BJP's political calendar. Holding the event in the post-Ayodhya era is strategically meaningful — it frames Singhal's decades of movement-building as a completed mission, not just a historical cause. For Bihar's chief minister, attendance at such events reinforces alignment with the national BJP's ideological core at a moment when state governments are expected to echo central messaging. The year-long centenary roadmap suggests this is as much organisational groundwork for future elections as it is genuine commemoration.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ashok Singhal?
Ashok Singhal was the long-serving president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the key organiser of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He was born in 1926 and died in November 2015, before the Ram temple at Ayodhya was built.
What is the Ashok Singhal birth centenary year?
The birth centenary year marks 100 years since Ashok Singhal's birth in 1926. Inaugurated in New Delhi on September 27, 2026, it is a year-long commemoration running through 2027, with events planned across India.
Why did Amit Shah attend the Ashok Singhal centenary event?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the inauguration as a senior BJP leader, reflecting the party's formal recognition of Singhal's role in the Hindutva movement and its tradition of honouring RSS and VHP figures.
Why was Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary at the Delhi ceremony?
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary attended in his capacity as both the state's chief minister and a senior BJP leader, joining a national-level commemoration that the party considers ideologically significant.
What events are planned for Ashok Singhal's centenary year?
State-level events and publications commemorating Ashok Singhal are planned across India through 2027, according to VHP and affiliated organisations, building on the New Delhi inauguration ceremony.
