Champat Rai

Champat Rai^[1][2] is an Indian politician, Leader and Vice President of Vishva Hindu Parishad, and currently serving as the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Champat Rai is a resident of Nagina, Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh . He was born in the year 1946 in the family of Rameshwar Prasad Bansal. Rai was influenced by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood and joined it. Champat Rai worked hard to propagate the ideas of the Sangh and was a campaigner for the organization. Rai studied physics. And also worked as a professor of Physics in [1] RSM Degree College located at Dhampur in Bijnor district.^[8]

Rai has written several books on Jain philosophy.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Champat Rai became the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (the Ram Mandir Trust) on February 19, 2020.^[13]

In June 2026, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that crores of rupees were missing from the Ram Temples donations. The statement triggered a major controversy, made worse when large amounts of cash was recovered from the residence of a temple employee who handled donations. The last incident prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a three member Special Investigative Team (SIT) consisting of IAS officer Vijay Vishwas Pant, IPS officer Kiran S., and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary in the Finance Department.^[14][15]

Champat Rai, as the General Secretary of the trust, drew flak. Criticisms and allegations against him by opposition parties and activists intensified when one of the prime suspects in the case turned out to be his own driver, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yaday. Journalists reported how in his early days Tinnu worked as a tempo driver, however, his fortunes drastically multiplied after he became Champat Rai's driver at the start of the Ram Temple construction. Champat Rai began to be accused of aiding and abetting in the siphoning of the funds and was also criticized for refusing to file an FIR when the controversy first emerged. AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused Champat Rai of using temple funds to buy up land in Ayodhya. Former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar demanded that Champat Rai be held personally responsible and be dismissed.^[16][17] Ram Janmbhoomi activist Santosh Dubey would allege that around 1,250 gold, silver, diamond-studded and ashtadhatu bricks have also gone missing from the Ram temple. He would proceed to file a police complaint against the Ram Temple Trust and demanded an inquiry into the assets of individuals associated with the trust, including Champat Rai.^[18]