In the heart of Jodhpur, a city he has represented in Parliament since 2014, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday, 25 October 2026, joined a gathering of saints, RSS and VHP leaders to mark the birth centenary year of Ashok Singhal — the man who spent decades building the mass movement that ultimately led to a temple at Ayodhya.

What brought Jodhpur's sant-samaj together on Sunday evening

The occasion was the Hindu Samagam, organised by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Jodhpur Mahanagar. The event drew an assembly of religious and civic figures: Dandi Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, RSS leader Nimbaram ji, Amritram ji Maharaj, Jodhpur Mayor Prasann Chand Mehta, VHP's Central Joint General Secretary Dr. Surendra Jain, and senior VHP functionary Mahendra Singh Rajpurohit, among others. Dr. Mahendra Aseri of Marwar Medical University was also present.

Shekhawat described his participation as 'saubhagyapurn' — saubhāgyapūrṇa (fortunate) — sharing that the gathering offered both the company of saints and heartfelt conversations with devotees of Sanatan Dharma.

Ashok Singhal's centenary and the Ram Janmabhoomi legacy

Ashok Singhal, who led the VHP for decades, is remembered as one of the principal architects of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement — the campaign, formally launched by the VHP in 1984, that sought to build a temple at Lord Rama's birthplace in Ayodhya. His sustained effort to consolidate Hindu society around this cause made him a central figure in the broader Sangh Parivar ecosystem. At the Jodhpur samagam, Shekhawat reflected publicly on Singhal's life, his 'mahan yogdan' (great contribution) to the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, and his lifelong resolve to organise Hindu society.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925 and the ideological parent of the Sangh Parivar, was represented at the event, underscoring the multi-organisational character of the tribute gathering.

Saints as nation-builders: the minister's framing

Shekhawat's post articulates a specific cultural thesis: that saints and sages are not merely spiritual figures but the living carriers of Sanatan civilisation, guides who awaken 'dharmabodh' (religious consciousness) in society and shape the moral character of future generations. He wrote that the new generation has a 'special need' for their guidance in the work of nation-building — a framing consistent with the BJP government's broader emphasis on cultural heritage and civilisational identity since 2014.

For a minister who heads the Culture and Tourism portfolio, the attendance at an event celebrating a figure synonymous with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement carries both religious and political resonance — one the BJP has consistently cultivated through participation in Sangh Parivar events across the country.