# Nripendra Misra denies rift with Champat Rai over Ram temple 2026-08-21T07:30:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, on Friday dismissed as 'fabricated' media reports of an internal rift with former trust general secretary Champat Rai over temple construction in Ayodhya. He said he had not seen any nine-page letter attributed to Rai alleging arbitrary decisions, and accused the media of creating a controversy. Rai resigned as general secretary about a month ago amid allegations of donation misappropriation, but Misra insisted there was no criticism from him. The Times of India reports that most of the 70 construction projects are complete, with 60 already handed over to the trust. An internal audit will follow. Misra said waterlogging on the premises will be resolved within two months by connecting to municipal drains. Work on the auditorium, museum and trust office will take about four more months. He stressed that no central or state government funds were used, only donations collected by the trust. National Herald India reports that the unsigned letter, dated 18 August and attributed to Rai, surfaced on social media. It details Misra's role in selecting Larsen & Toubro for construction and Noida-based Design Associate for other buildings, and alleges that Misra brought persons of his interest into the committee. The outlet notes the letter could not be independently verified and that Rai did not respond to PTI's attempts to confirm authorship. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Times of India leads with Misra's denial and the progress update, framing the controversy as a 'made-up story' and foregrounding the temple's completion. National Herald India gives more space to the letter's contents and the lack of verification, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad functionary's comment that some details may only Rai knew. The Times of India omits those specifics. The measured take: the letter is unsigned and unconfirmed, but Misra's categorical denial does not address why such a document would circulate if wholly baseless. Watch for whether Rai clarifies or the trust releases a statement. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (pro government) Leads with denial and completion progress, omits letter details and verification questions - nationalheraldindia.com (neutral report) Reports both denial and letter contents without taking sides, notes lack of verification This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-21T14:41:39+00:00. Tags: Ayodhya, Champat Rai, Nripendra Misra, Ram Mandir, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/nripendra-misra-denies-rift-with-champat-rai-over-ram-temple-work/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/nripendra-misra-denies-rift-with-champat-rai-over-ram-temple-work/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/