India, Bollywood Fever: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been accused by a section of monks from three organizations of asking voters to support the BJP. Swami Pradiptananda of Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) sent a legal notice to Banerjee seeking an unconditional apology within 48 hours. This comes after Banerjee named him while accusing a section of monks of working for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“…call upon you [Banerjee] to forthwith address the press and issue an unconditional apology and retract your virulent and malafide 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,” Pradiptananda’s counsel Billwadal Bhattacharyya said in the notice.
The notice stated that if Banerjee did not reply within four days, it would be understood that she wanted to give wide publicity to the defamatory content to falsely and maliciously defame Pradiptananda. It added that Pradiptananda, who is BSS secretary in Aurangabad, Beldanga (Murshidabad), and Payradanga (Nadia) and better known as Kartick Maharaj, reserves the right to initiate criminal cases against Banerjee.
On Saturday, Banerjee said she has great respect for monks but not all of them are the same. “BSS has a unit in Berhampore. I have heard about a Maharaj [monk] for a long time. His name is Kartick Maharaj. He said he will not allow any TMC election agent in polling booths. I do not consider him a monk because he is directly involved in politics. He is ruining the country. I have great respect for Bharat Sevashram Sangha,” Banerjee said at a rally in Hooghly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused Banerjee of “bad-mouthing” and “threatening” ISKCON, RKM, and BSS to protect Muslims and infiltrators, calling them the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s vote bank.
“…the chief minister is bad-mouthing our great organizations and maligning them under pressure from hardcore Muslim outfits to secure votes. TMC is insulting Bengal’s heritage and culture. They repeatedly use vulgar words against Ram Mandir [in Ayodhya]. Would you not reply to TMC’s appeasement politics with your votes,” Modi said at a rally in Bankura.
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