Divinely ordained: Nripendra Misra calls role in Ram Temple construction 'most special' of career

New Delhi: For Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, leading the effort to build the grand shrine in Ayodhya was the most "special assignment" of his career -- for which he believes he was "divinely ordained".

Boasting an impressive academic record -- masters in chemistry from Allahabad University, masters in political science, and masters in public administration from Harvard's John F Kennedy School -- the 80-year-old former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1967-batch has had an illustrious career.

He was principal secretary to Mulayam Singh Yadav when he was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and served as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's principal secretary during his first term. He was also chief of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

In an interview with PTI, Misra said being the temple construction committee chairman was not a "predictable position".

"Being a civil servant, we don't have favourites and less favourites and more because it all depends on what job is given by the government of the day to us to perform. As a civil servant, we perform. But the nature of all other jobs were in some manner already defined because it was known and those positions existed and you went there and you did your work, whether you were the subdivisional magistrate or principal secretary to the prime minister," he said.

"These positions existed and you worked and whatever best you could, you tried. But when it came to the temple construction, this was not a predictable position. This was a position which, for me at least, I really believe, was divinely ordained. One doesn't get this kind of opportunity in life. So, when this came my way, it couldn't have been better for my life. That is how I see it … This job obviously was the most special," he added.

Construction of the first phase of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was completed last year.

An idol of Ram Lalla (child Ram) was consecrated in a ceremony led by Modi on January 22, 2024. The final construction of the temple is set to be completed by June 5 when the consecration ceremony of the "Ram Darbar" will be performed.

In a historic verdict in 2019, the Supreme Court settled the centuries-old temple-mosque dispute. The top court backed the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for building a mosque.

Misra -- a Padma Bhushan recipient -- also denied that there were any political objectives behind the temple's construction.

"I do not think that it is any political gimmick or there are any political objectives behind it. It has happened on the order of our Supreme Court and the moment has come after over 500 years of struggle," he said.

Asked about his experience as Modi's principal secretary when major policy decisions such as demonetisation were taken, Misra said there was no question of not being on the same page.

"....because, as principal secretary, I see the PMO's (Prime Minister's Office) job is to facilitate the programme of the prime minister. After all, when the prime minister gets elected, he has got the support of millions. He has promised to those millions the kind of service he will deliver. So there is never a situation where you differ but your role is more in the nature of translating his expectations into execution and ultimately it gets implemented," he said.

"And there is another side to it. That is, when you structure the implementation, then you take the precaution that the programme has sort of gone through the various tests," the former bureaucrat said.

"For example, if you think of the programme that you mentioned (demonetisation), then whether it is prudent from the financial point of view, whether it ensures maximisation of good in the population, whether it ensures social equity. So there are considerations which are there and it is expected of the prime minister," he added.

Misra also referred to Prime Minister Modi as a "tough taskmaster".

"As you know, he is a hard taskmaster. And I have often said that when you go and tell him that 'I have achieved this peak, I have climbed this peak', he would immediately show you the next peak, the next mountain and expect that you would now be climbing up to the next mountain. So this was always there," he said, recalling his days in the PMO.

"The most important thing, which I have also written on various occasions, is that he never blamed his team. He was capable of taking all the responsibilities for whatever he instructed his staff to do," he added.

Misra is a recipient of Japan's prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, for his outstanding career in the civil services.