CM Yogi at Ashok Singhal birth centenary launch in Lucknow
Synopsis
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the inauguration of Ashok Singhal's birth centenary year at a VHP ceremony in Lucknow on 27 September 2026, honouring the late Ram Janmabhoomi movement leader who died in 2015.
Key Takeaways
CM Yogi Adityanath attended the launch of Ashok Singhal's birth centenary year in Lucknow on 27 September 2026 .
Ashok Singhal was the former international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and a central figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement; he died in 2015 .
The VHP , founded in 1964 , led the Ayodhya temple agitation that culminated in the 2019 Supreme Court verdict and the January 2024 temple inauguration.
CM Yogi described Singhal as 'the pioneer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement' in his post on X.
The centenary year is expected to prompt a broader calendar of VHP-organised commemorative events across India.
A century after the birth of the man who became the driving force behind one of independent India's most consequential religious campaigns, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the inauguration of Ashok Singhal's birth centenary year at a ceremony held in Lucknow on Sunday, 27 September 2026 — marking the occasion alongside the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the organisation Singhal led as international president.
Posting on X with the handle of @VHPDigital, CM Yogi shared his presence at the event, describing Singhal as 'श्री राम जन्मभूमि आंदोलन के प्रणेता' — 'the pioneer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement' — and as the 'revered former international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad.'Who was Ashok Singhal, and why this centenary matters
Ashok Singhal, who passed away in 2015, served as the international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) — the Hindu organisation founded in 1964 — and is widely credited with galvanising the Ram Janmabhoomi movement across decades. His campaign, which intensified through the late 1980s and culminated in the contentious events of 1992, eventually fed into the legal proceedings that the Supreme Court of India resolved in 2019, paving the way for the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. The temple was inaugurated in January 2024. For the VHP and its constellation of affiliated organisations, his birth centenary is therefore not a routine anniversary — it arrives in the immediate afterglow of the movement's defining achievement.Yogi Adityanath, VHP, and the politics of remembrance
CM Yogi, as head of the Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur and a BJP chief minister, has consistently participated in commemorations honouring figures associated with the VHP and RSS. His presence at the Lucknow ceremony extends that pattern — and signals the state's formal engagement with a centenary year that the VHP is expected to mark through a broader calendar of events across India. What those subsequent programmes look like will be worth watching in the months ahead.A movement that reshaped Indian politics across four decades now turns to honouring the man who kept its fire burning — and the government of Uttar Pradesh has made clear it will be part of that remembrance.
Point of View
The centenary year gives the VHP and its state allies an opportunity to consolidate the movement's legacy in a period of institutional post-victory consolidation. For Yogi Adityanath personally, participating in such events reinforces his identity as both a political leader and a religious figure, the two roles he has never separated. How the centenary calendar unfolds — and which state resources or platforms are extended to it — will be a quiet but telling indicator of the government's continued alignment with VHP priorities.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ashok Singhal?
Ashok Singhal was the former international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the most prominent leader of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which campaigned for decades for a Ram temple at Ayodhya. He died in 2015.
What is the Ashok Singhal birth centenary year?
The birth centenary year marks 100 years since Ashok Singhal's birth. The VHP inaugurated the centenary year with a ceremony in Lucknow on 27 September 2026, attended by CM Yogi Adityanath.
What is the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)?
The Vishva Hindu Parishad is a Hindu religious organisation founded in 1964. It played a central role in the Ayodhya temple agitation that led to the 2019 Supreme Court verdict and the January 2024 temple inauguration.
Why did CM Yogi attend the Ashok Singhal centenary event?
As Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and head of the Gorakhnath Math, Yogi Adityanath regularly participates in events honouring VHP and RSS-linked figures. His attendance at the Lucknow ceremony signals the state government's formal engagement with the centenary year.
What was the Ram Janmabhoomi movement?
The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was a campaign from the 1980s onward seeking the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site. It culminated in the 2019 Supreme Court verdict in favour of temple construction and the inauguration of the Ram temple in January 2024.
