First CEO of Ram Mandir Trust is PM’s personal choice, as expected

Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra was announced on Wednesday as the first CEO of the Ram Mandir Trust in Ayodhya. He was selected from among 5,585 applicants.

The decision to appoint a CEO came after the Trust was embroiled in the ‘chanda chori’ controversy over allegations of embezzlement and theft of donations and offerings. The Trust is a private body whose trustees were reportedly handpicked by the prime minister.

Unlike public trusts, which are subject to government scrutiny, required to publish their audited accounts and mandated to follow prescribed rules, private trusts are exempt from such requirements.

Air Marshal Mishra (Rtd), who headed the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, had several advantages during the selection process.

A son of the soil from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh and a Brahmin himself, his appointment could also serve the political purpose of assuaging sections of the Brahmin community in the state, who are believed to be unhappy with the Modi and Yogi governments over various issues.

An even more important consideration behind the appointment, according to an Ayodhya-based journalist, is Mishra’s nationalist credentials and military background. His role in leading air strikes against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor adds an additional halo around him, the journalist said.

“We may believe we are smart, but the fact is that the prime minister is smarter,” he told the National Herald on Thursday while laughing uproariously over the phone. Nobody, he explained, would dare to point a finger at a decorated war veteran; and even if the Trust fails to manage things better, it would be difficult for even the Opposition to criticise misgovernance, since they would be accused of slandering one of the heroes of Operation Sindoor.

The selection of Air Marshal Mishra (Rtd) was possibly decided several weeks before the announcement. Nothing else explains the decision of the ANI to interview him over an hour and a half in August 2026 over his role in Operation Sindoor.

The expansive interview allowed the Air Marshal the opportunity to preen and boast of the exploits of the Indian Air Force. One of the several gems he came up with was to say that the fourth-generation Rafale fighter jets piloted by Indians could match a sixth-generation fighter plane of the enemy.

Even more importantly, the Air Marshal showered lavish praise on the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  The armed forces were given complete operational freedom, he claimed, and the prime minister himself could not be more supportive. At one point in the interview, the retired Air Force officer claims that when the PM came visiting the Western Command, he sought the PM’s permission to sit in the same car as Mr. Modi. A visibly overwhelmed former Air Marshal recalled that the PM immediately said, ‘Why not?’

Over the next 90 minutes, he claimed, he had the privilege of listening to the prime minister. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him, he agreed, and added that he was amazed at the prime minister’s knowledge of the weapon systems used by the Indian Air force. He marvelled at the prime minister’s grasp of modern warfare and air combats. It was most impressive, he gushed.

While the interview was used to build up the former Air Force commander’s war record, the retired officer appeared to be trying very hard to give the impression that he and PM Modi had interacted closely with each other.

It is possible, said observers in Uttar Pradesh, that the Prime Minister was dazzled by the commander and advised him to apply for the CEO’s position. On the other hand, they said, it was equally possible that the Prime Minister found in the Air Marshal an overawed bhakt who would be a useful ‘yes man’ in Ayodhya. In Nripendra Mishra, the former Principal Secretary to the PM, Mr Modi already had a ‘yes man’ in the Trust. With Air Marshal Mishra, he would have another person beholden to him in the Trust.

The sources denied reports that the Trust required the CEO to be conversant with scriptures or the epics. The only requirement for the CEO was to be a practicing Hindu and have 20 years of administrative and managerial experience. They, however, conceded that the Air Marshal does not appear to have the required experience over the past 20 years.

There were several senior IAS officers and people with corporate background who had applied, they pointed out. Many of them may have had longer administrative experience than the Air marshal. There were several Brahmins too among the aspirants and they were as qualified, if not more.

What clinched the selection, it would seem, is the Prime Minister’s approval. The Air Marshal (retired) is the Prime Minister’s choice, insist Ram Mandir watchers.