The Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved a proposal to build a temple for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Patna. This happened at its first meeting on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. The proposal came from board member Rajan Singh. This is the core of the Bihar transgender board Modi temple story, and this page sets out only what reporters have documented.
No land has been named, and no government has announced money for the project. Many online posts say more than the reports do. This article separates what is on the record from what is only a claim.
Key takeaways
- The board approved the proposal at its first meeting on 29 July 2026, held at the Social Welfare Department, Old Secretariat, Patna.
- Board member Rajan Singh proposed it. PTI quotes him saying Modi "gave us respect and rights".
- PTI says Singh told it that all members backed the proposal. Free Press Journal and Drishti IAS call the approval unanimous. A later report quotes another board member who calls the idea Singh's personal agenda.
- The figures of 5 acres and Rs 112 crore come from Singh's own statements in August. They are a request, not a sanctioned budget.
- We found no report of an allotted site, released funds, or a response from the Prime Minister's Office.
What did the board decide on 29 July 2026?
According to PTI, as published by ThePrint on 29 July 2026, the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board held its first meeting in Patna on that Wednesday. At the meeting, the board approved a proposal to build a temple dedicated to Narendra Modi. The Free Press Journal reported the same day that the meeting took place at the Social Welfare Department in the Old Secretariat.
Drishti IAS, an education and current affairs site, published a short note on 31 July 2026. It says the board has 28 members, sits under the Social Welfare Department, and was set up in August 2025. It also says this was the board's first meeting.
The decision was a board approval of a proposal. It was not a law, a government order or a court ruling. Nothing in the early reports says a design, a trust or a budget was agreed that day.
Who proposed the temple and why?
The proposer was board member Rajan Singh. PTI spells the first name "Ranjan", while the Free Press Journal and ETV Bharat write "Rajan". We use Rajan Singh. You can read more about him on our page about Rajan Singh and the board.
Two reasons appear in the reports. PTI quotes Singh as saying, "I proposed to build a temple for Narendra Modi because he gave us respect and rights." The Free Press Journal says the board approved the temple in recognition of Modi's efforts to give the community "respect and rights". It also reports that Singh said the community has no temple of its own.
These are Singh's reasons. Other members, community groups and legal experts may see the matter differently, as later sections show. The community background is covered on our topic page linked at the end of this article.
Was the vote really unanimous?
This is the point where outlets use different words, so it is worth being careful.
| Outlet | Date | What it says about support |
|---|---|---|
| PTI, via ThePrint | 29 July 2026 | Singh said the proposal had the backing of all members, and it was approved. |
| Free Press Journal | 29 July 2026 | Says the proposal was unanimously supported by the members and approved by the board. |
| Drishti IAS | 31 July 2026 | Says the proposal received unanimous approval from the board. |
So the word "unanimous" appears in two outlets, and PTI traces the claim to Singh. We have not seen the written minutes of the meeting. A report by Queerbeat on 21 August 2026 says that the 29 July minutes it saw do not mention the temple, and that another board member, Anupriya Singh, called the idea Rajan Singh's personal agenda. We could not open that report ourselves, so treat this as a claim made in one outlet. We also have not seen a response from Rajan Singh to that specific point.
Our position is simple. The board approved the proposal, according to PTI. Whether every member voted for it is something only the minutes can show.
What did each outlet report?
Here is a short, dated list of what the sources we opened actually say.
- ThePrint (PTI), 29 July: first meeting, proposal by Singh, backing of all members according to Singh, reason given as respect and rights. It does not mention land or cost.
- Free Press Journal, 29 July: construction would start only after the state government identifies land in Patna, and the state government would bear all construction costs. No amount was given.
- Drishti IAS, 31 July: board of 28 members, formed August 2025, first meeting. It does not discuss cost or law.
- ETV Bharat, 11 August: Singh told the outlet that the board asked the government for five acres of land and Rs 112 crore. It also reports a plan for a life-size gold statue of Modi and says the proposal will go to the Cabinet Secretariat. The report does not include any government reply.
- The Federal, 20 August: describes the Press Club event covered below.
Notice that the first reports talk about the state government paying, while the August reports talk about asking the government for money. Both come from Singh. Our deeper look at the money question is in the Rs 112 crore fact check.
What do we know about land and money?
Very little is confirmed. This table shows who said what.
| Item | What was said | Who said it | Confirmed by government? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site | State government to identify land in Patna | Singh, via Free Press Journal | No report found |
| Who pays | State government to bear costs | Singh, via Free Press Journal | No report found |
| Land asked for | Five acres | Singh, via ETV Bharat and The Federal | No report found |
| Amount | Rs 112 crore | Singh, via ETV Bharat and The Federal | No report found |
| Statue | Life-size, gold | Singh, via ETV Bharat | No report found |
One crore is ten million, so Rs 112 crore is Rs 1.12 billion. That is a large sum. Singh said that if funds fell short for the gold statue, "we'll arrange it", according to ETV Bharat, without saying how. Because every figure comes from one person, we do not present any of it as a budget. If you want to know whether and when it could be built, read when the Modi Mandir could be built.
What happened at the Press Club of India on 20 August?
On 20 August 2026, Singh, described in PTI-based reports as vice-president of the board, led a recitation of a "Modi Chalisa" in front of a Modi cutout at the Press Club of India in Delhi. A chalisa is a devotional prayer-poem, traditionally of forty verses. The Federal reports that the club said it did not organise the event, that the hall had been booked for a press conference, that the booking terms were breached, and that it stopped the event.
The Federal also quotes Singh defending the temple plan. He asked, "If we want to construct a temple for him, what is wrong with it?" He repeated the Rs 112 crore and five-acre figures at that event.
Two points matter here. The event was not a board meeting, and the club disowned it. So it should not be read as an official act of the board. We cover it fully in our page on the Modi Chalisa event.
Is a temple for a living leader new in India?
No, but earlier cases were small and private. In 2015, supporters built a Modi temple in a village near Rajkot, Gujarat, and reports differ on its cost and what happened to it afterwards. In 2021, a local supporter built a small Modi temple in Pune, and the idol was removed after BJP leaders objected. A Meerut man announced a larger plan in 2017, and we have seen no evidence that it was built.
What is different in Patna is that the proposal came from a body set up by a state department, and it asks the government for land and money. That is why the questions about public funds are asked here and were not asked in earlier cases. Look at the Modi temples elsewhere topic page for the earlier stories.
Is it legal? A plain look at the law
This is general information, not legal advice. India's Constitution lets people build temples with their own money. Article 27 says no person can be forced to pay taxes whose money goes to promote or maintain a particular religion. Courts have looked at this article in cases such as Shirur Mutt (1954), but no court has ruled on the Patna proposal. Whether public money can be used would depend on how the project is designed and funded, and on any challenge brought later. Our page on Article 27 and state funding of temples explains the rule step by step.
What we do not know yet
We could not find any report of the following, as of 24 October 2026. If you see them stated as fact elsewhere, ask for the source.
- A site, an allotment of land, or any plot details.
- Any money released, or a budget approved by the state or central government.
- A reply from the Prime Minister's Office, the Bihar government, or any political party on the temple itself.
- Any trust, architect, design or construction schedule.
- The written minutes of the 29 July meeting. A complaint to the Prime Minister's Office about the use of Modi's name and photo was reported in August, but we have seen no outcome.
- Whether the proposal has reached the Cabinet Secretariat, as Singh said it would.
Some images shared online show finished temple designs. PatnaPress reported on 11 August that images used with the story were AI-generated, so they are not plans. Be careful with them.
Common questions
Did the Bihar government approve the Modi temple?
No. The Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board approved a proposal. We found no report that the state or central government approved land or money.
Who is Rajan Singh?
He is a board member who proposed the temple, later described as its vice-president. PTI spells his first name Ranjan.
Where will the temple be built?
No site has been announced. Singh said construction would start after the state government identifies land in Patna.
How much will it cost?
No official cost exists. Singh said the board asked for Rs 112 crore and five acres. That is a request, as reported by ETV Bharat and The Federal.
Sources
- ThePrint (PTI): Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name, 29 July 2026
- Free Press Journal: Bihar's transgender welfare board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi, 29 July 2026
- Drishti IAS: Bihar Transgender Welfare Board clears proposal for PM Modi temple, 31 July 2026
- ETV Bharat: Bihar Kinnar board proposes to build temple for Modi, 11 August 2026
- The Federal: Press Club of India disowns Modi worship event, 20 August 2026
For more, see the Patna proposal topic page, our timeline and our FAQs. See also the community and rights topic page for background on the transgender community.
Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.