Modi named Somnath Temple trust chairman; 2nd PM to hold post

Prime Minister Narendra Modiwas on Monday unanimously chosen as the new chairman of thetrust which manages the world famous Somnath Temple at PrabhasPatan town in Gujarat's Gir-Somnath district, becoming thesecond PM to hold the post.

Modi, one of the trustees of the Shree Somnath Trust,was named to the top post unanimously during a meeting whichhe attended by via video conferencing.

''The trustees unanimously chose Prime Minister ShriNarendra Modi as the next chairman of the Trust, to guide itin the times to come.

''The Prime Minister accepted the responsibility andalso appreciated the efforts of Team Somnath,'' said a PIBrelease in Delhi.

''He expressed hope that together, the trust will beable to further improve infrastructure, accommodationarrangements, recreation facilities and help establishstronger connection of the pilgrims with our great heritage.

''A review of the facilities, ongoing activities andprojects was also carried out during the meeting,'' it said.

At the virtual meeting, the trustees paid tributes toformer Gujarat Chief Minister late Keshubhai Patel, theex-chairman of the Trust.

After former PM Morarji Desai, Modi is the secondPrime Minister who has been appointed the chairman of thetemple trust. As per trust records, Modi has become the eighthchairman of the trust.

The post of the Somnath Trust's chairman fell vacantafter the death of Patel in October last year. Patel hadserved as the chairman for 16 years (2004-2020).

Current trustees include BJP leader LK Advani, UnionHome Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar andbusinessman Harshvardhan Neotia.

Trustee-Secretary P K Laheri said Shah proposed thename of Modi as the next chairman.

''While Shah proposed the name of PM Modi as chairman,I seconded it and the other trustees then unanimously electedthe PM as the new chairman.

''The trustees would hold another meeting to discussfuture plans,'' Laheri told reporters after the meeting onMonday evening.

As per the records, Desai had served as the chairmanbetween 1967 and 1995.

Besides Desai and Patel, some of the illustrious pastchairpersons of the trust include Jamsaheb Digvijaya Singh Ji,Kanaiyalal Munshi, Jay Krishna Hari Vallabh, Dineshbhai Shahand Prasanvadan Mehta, the release said.