Within 36 hours of allegations that monks of Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and ISKCON were canvassing for the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on Monday slapped with a defamation notice by the monk she had mentioned by name.
Kartik Maharaj, also known as Swami Pradiptananda, of the Kolkata-based Bharat Sevashram Sangha sent a legal notice to Banerjee seeking an unconditional apology.
The legal notice clearly mentions that Kartick Maharaj was not affiliated with any political party and sought a retraction and apology from Mamata Banerjee within 48 hours. It also said that Banerjee’s comments on monks were baseless and that she should tender an unconditional apology.
The notice issued to Mamata Banerjee by Kartick Maharaj’s lawyer said: “We call upon you to forthwith address the press and issue an unconditional apology and retract your virulent and mala fide statement within 48 hours from receipt of the instant notice and cease and desist from making further similar statements against my client defaming and maligning my client.”
Speaking to The Daily Guardian, Kartik Maharaj condemned the comments made by Banerjee and said: “It’s disheartening that the Chief Minister has insulted the Sanyasis. She said we are working for BJP due to vote bank politics. We are working all over the State and country for the people and not for any political parties.”
He added that appeasement politics is nothing new in West Bengal under Trinamool rule. “They have attacked the Sanatani Hindu religion from every aspect. They haven’t even left our goddess Kali.” He further stressed the present condition of Hindus in Bengal.
“What action did the honourable Chief Minister take against her party MLA who had openly said that ‘You Hindus are 30% and we Muslims are 70% in Murshidabad. In two hours, we can throw the bodies of the Hindus in the river Bhagirathi’?” he asked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at a campaign meeting in Jhargram in West Bengal, alleged that Mamata Banerjee was “under pressure from Muslim extremists and was threatening these socio-religious organisations to appease the TMC’s vote bank”.
PM Modi said the Trinamool Congress has crossed the limits of decency by stooping so low that it is “spreading canards against ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha”.“The TMC, which has intimidated and threatened the people of Bengal during elections, has crossed all limits this time. Today, in the country and the world, ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are known for service and morality, but the Chief Minister of Bengal is openly threatening them from an open platform…They are threatening them just to appease their vote bank” he said.
Unfazed by the storm of criticism, addressing an election rally in Bankura’s Onda today, Mamata Banerjee said: ““I am not against Ramakrishna Mission or Bharat Sevashram Sangha or ISKCON. Why should I be against an institution or insult it? I have spoken about one or two persons,” she added.
“I had spoken about Kartick Maharaj since he did not allow Trinamool Congress agent to sit at a polling booth in Rejinagar,” Banerjee said.