Ram temple trust names first woman member Nirmala Yadav

Dr Nirmala Yadav, the newly appointed member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Thursday said she saw her selection as God’s will and that she would discharge the responsibility with dedication, hard work and honesty. She also said she would work to make darshan at the Ram temple in Ayodhya easier for women devotees.

The trust on Wednesday appointed Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (retd) as its first chief executive officer and inducted three new trustees — educationist Nirmala Yadav, advocate Madan Mohan Pandey and businessman-social worker Mahesh Bhagchandka. The posts had fallen vacant after the death of Bimlendra Mohan Mishra last year and the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and Anil Mishra following the donation theft controversy.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Yadav said, "I will say only this -- I was chosen from across the country, which is a sign that God has chosen me. Nothing is possible without His vision and grace." She added, "No one else has any role in my selection. God’s grace has remained upon my family and me." She also said her selection represented "Maatri Shakti" or woman power.

Speaking to reporters in Firozabad, Yadav said that as the trust’s first woman member, she would prepare a special action plan for women devotees visiting Ayodhya for darshan. She said she would do whatever was possible to ensure that the glory of Lord Ram remained intact and stressed the need to respect the sentiments of all devotees.

"Lord Ram is not only the centre of faith for our society but for the entire world. We should not say anything that could diminish his glory," Yadav said. She added that allegations were not always completely true and said any shortcomings in the trust’s functioning would be addressed through discussions among its members.

On her new responsibility, Yadav said she would work with complete dedication without compromising on her principles. "Be it the administration, arrangements, facilities or security, I will give my suggestions for whatever improvements are possible and will try to make the arrangements better," she said. "Now that the call from Ram Lalla has come, I have to work with complete dedication," she added.

Yadav said she had no prior indication that she would be given the responsibility and had not applied for the post. She said she received a message on Wednesday afternoon informing her that her name had been proposed for the trust and seeking her consent. After agreeing, she attended the meeting through video conference. She also rejected speculation that the appointment was made with the 2027 elections in mind, saying she did not believe it was politically motivated.

A former principal and educationist, Yadav said she has been associated with educational and social organisations for decades. She said her parents, Mahavir Singh Yadav and Rajwati, are no more, while her father-in-law, Surya Kumar Yadav, a former Major, was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after retirement.

"My family gradually became associated with the Sangh. I was introduced to several RSS and Bajrang Dal functionaries who used to visit my family after my marriage in 1983. I became involved in educational activities and worked in Saraswati Shishu Mandirs. My daughter was among the first students of the Balika Vidya Mandir in Shikohabad, which later grew into an intermediate college," she said.

Yadav joined BDM Municipal Girls’ College in Shikohabad as a lecturer in 1987 and became principal in 1999. In 2006, she took charge as principal of Mahatma Gandhi PG College in Firozabad, from where she retired in 2022. She also recalled joining the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh in 1999 after being introduced to its functionary, Om Pal Singh. She later served as its vice president and then as state president from 2019 to 2022. She is currently associated with its working council and holds the responsibility of all-India Sah Sampark Pramukh. Yadav also served for two years as a governor-nominated member of the executive council of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra.

Yadav said she would take up her role in the temple trust with full commitment, while focusing on better arrangements for devotees, especially women, and taking part in discussions on any issues related to the trust’s functioning.