Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (September 28, 2026) paid tribute to former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international working president Ashok Singhal on his birth centenary, describing him as an “organisational genius” and recalling his “pivotal role” in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

In an OpEd, Mr. Modi recalled his many interactions with Mr. Singhal, who was born on September 27, 1926, and passed away on November 17, 2015.

“I consider it a privilege that I had innumerable opportunities to interact with Ashok Ji and receive his affection,” Mr. Modi wrote. “One of the earliest instances dates back to 1981, when I was a young Karyakarta going about the organisational duties given to me. I received a handwritten letter from him,” he added. “Naturally, it was a noteworthy moment for me.”

Remembering the person

Mr. Modi wrote about Mr. Singhal both as a person as well as an administrator. 

He went on to recall how, over several decades, he saw Mr. Singhal work hard on various projects that often involved “long and often difficult travels to the remotest of areas”. 

“His mind was constantly running, thinking about what more one can do for those on the margins of society,” Mr. Modi recalled. “Whenever any part of the nation was affected by a natural disaster, Ashok Ji was either among the first to reach there himself or among those guiding Karyakartas to help those affected. My own experience with him in the aftermath of the 2001 Kutch earthquake was unforgettable.”

The Prime Minister also wrote about how Mr. Singhal hailed from an illustrious and prosperous family. 

“His father, Shri Mahavir Ji, was a distinguished administrator,” Mr. Modi noted. “One of his brothers, Shri BP Singhal Ji, went on to become a police officer and later a Member of Parliament. Another brother, Shri VP Singhal Ji, was the Chief Secretary of Tripura when the State was just formed. Other family members succeeded in the world of commerce and agriculture.” 

However, Mr. Modi said, Mr. Singhal had another calling: “the revival of Bharat and bringing glory to Maa Bharti’s children”. 

“Growing up in Prayagraj, Ashok Ji would sit for hours on the banks of the Sangam,” Mr. Modi said. “The river naturally interested him, but so did the people who came, such as saints, seers and devotees. It nurtured an understanding of India’s cultural ethos and strengthened his intention to do something for society.” 

“This desire to live for others drew him to the RSS,” he added. “He embraced every responsibility that came his way with enthusiasm, discipline and a sense of duty.”

‘Legendary persona’

Mr. Modi cited two instances that “brought out the legendary persona” of Mr. Singhal. The first was during a convention in the U.S. organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in 1993 to mark 100 years since Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address. 

“The vision to host such a conference overseas, the planning and the bringing together of diverse stakeholders revealed the organisational genius of Ashok Ji,” Mr. Modi recalled.

The second was the World Hindu Conference in 2000 organised in Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. 

“I could see how his presence ignited so much enthusiasm among other delegates,” Mr. Modi said. “After my address, his words of appreciation were a very moving experience for me. I saw yet again how his encouragement filled every Karyakarta with so much energy.” 

Ram Janmabhoomi movement

Mr. Modi also highlighted Mr. Singhal’s role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. “Who can forget his address at the Boat Club Rally in 1991?” he asked. “Or the defining image of an injured and bleeding Ashok Ji at the peak of the movement. Today, if there is a grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, it is because of stalwarts like him who selflessly immersed themselves in the effort to make it possible.” 

“He would have been the happiest person on seeing the Ram Mandir take shape in Ayodhya,” Mr. Modi wrote.

The Prime Minister also noted that Mr. Singhal’s beliefs that our society needs to be harmonious and that the message of brotherhood has to be reaffirmed were clearly visible. 

“It was his thought that the first brick of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya would be laid by Shri Kameshwar Choupal Ji, a grassroots VHP Karyakarta from Bihar who hailed from the marginalised sections of society,” Mr. Modi said. “At a Dharm Sansad in Kashi, he decided that the Dom Raja would be honoured and went on to work with him as part of various community efforts.”

Mr. Modi expressed hope that more youngsters would learn about Mr. Singhal on his birth centenary, and called for a renewed pledge to “realise his dreams for our nation and our people”.

Published – September 28, 2026 12:45 am IST

Lucknow:

Vishva Hindu Parishad chief Alok Kumar on Tuesday rejected opposition criticism of Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Yadav for attending and speaking at a VHP event in Prayagraj, and asserted such “awareness meets” would continue to be organised.

Justice Yadav spoke on the Uniform Civil Code and other issues during a provincial convention of the VHP’s Legal Cell and High Court Unit on Sunday. The videos of him speaking at the event, where he also reportedly said the law should work according to the majority, were circulated widely triggering a strong reaction from opposition parties.

Mr Kumar, who is VHP’s international president, said on Tuesday he was not present at the Prayagraj meeting, but was certainly aware of the deliberations.

“We had invited the judge as a faculty to speak on the Uniform Civil Code. We work among former judges, invite them to work for the VHP, for Hindutva. But as far as sitting judges are concerned, we do not expect them or invite them to work for the VHP. Sometimes on topics like the UCC, we do invite them to enlighten us,” Mr Kumar told PTI on the phone.

“So, on the issue of UCC, the HC judge said at the meet it was a Constitutional mandate under the Directive Principles of State Policy. He said it should be expected that the directives should be adhered to by elected representatives. He referred to various SC judgments that insisted the governments should evolve a UCC and said that the UCC would be good for complete integration of society and unity of India,” Mr Kumar said.

The VHP leader, however, said he was not aware of the exact nature of the comments on “majority” attributed to the High Court judge, but “I would not be apologetic” even if the HC judge has said so about majority having a say in how the laws should work.

“We had invited the judge to speak on the UCC. I would not be able to authenticate those views of his, but then the sentiments and emotions of the majority society deserve as much respect as the sensitivities of the minority,” Mr Kumar said.

“For example, our respect for cows. They may or may not respect cows. Now we cannot force everyone to respect cows. But then, considering our sensitivities, others may not insist on cow slaughter… (and) if they have certain sensitivities on certain subjects, they should be respected.

“Islam in India is technically a minority, but considering their good numbers, they are a second majority in India. So, unless we develop mutual respect, if not respect, then mutual tolerance for others’ sensitivities, there cannot be any integration,” the VHP leader said.

“So, I would not be apologetic about it if he (the HC judge) said so. If a majority holds a particular view, then others should not make an issue of it,” he said.

Asked further about inviting a sitting judge at the event, Mr Kumar said, “We ask our legal cell to organise awareness sessions or meetings inviting advocates in big numbers to advocate on issues like liberation of Hindu temples, provisions and amendments of the Waqf Act, and on UCC. So there would be meetings everywhere.”

“We will invite former judges to speak on those aspects,” the VHP chief told PTI.

Mr Kumar’s reference to “former judges” possibly gave away that, at least for now, given the controversy the Prayagraj event stirred up, sitting judges might not feature in such VHP events.

Meanwhile, lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan wrote to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna seeking an “in-house enquiry” into the conduct of Justice Yadav. In the letter, Bhushan said Justice Yadav delivered a speech endorsing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) while making controversial remarks perceived as targeting the Muslim community.

In September 2021 also, Justice Shekhar Yadav made some observations on cows while hearing a case on their slaughter.

“Cows should be declared the national animal, and cow protection should be kept as a fundamental right of Hindus because when the culture and faith of the country are hurt, the country becomes weak,” he had said.

He said the cow occupies an important place in Indian culture. “The great importance of the cow has been shown in the Indian Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, etc. For this reason, cow is the basis of our culture.” The VHP chief also said he was not aware of other comments attributed to the High Court judge, including about how Hindu children were more tolerant than those from other faiths.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)