On Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused certain monks from three organizations of urging voters to support the BJP. In response, Swami Pradiptananda of Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) sent her a legal notice on Monday, demanding an unconditional apology within 48 hours for naming him and alleging that some monks were working for the BJP.
Pradiptananda’s lawyer, Billwadal Bhattacharyya, stated in the notice that Banerjee should immediately hold a press conference to issue an unconditional apology and retract her harmful and false statements. The notice also warned Banerjee to stop making such defamatory remarks against Pradiptananda.
The notice further mentioned that if Banerjee did not respond within four days, it would be assumed that she intended to widely spread the defamatory content to harm Pradiptananda’s reputation. Pradiptananda, who serves as the BSS secretary in Aurangabad, Beldanga (Murshidabad), and Payradanga (Nadia), and is known as Kartick Maharaj, reserves the right to take criminal action against her.
At a rally in Hooghly on Saturday, Banerjee expressed her respect for monks but clarified that not all monks are the same. She mentioned Kartick Maharaj by name, accusing him of political involvement and stating he would not allow TMC election agents in polling booths. Banerjee criticized him for being directly involved in politics and alleged he was harming the country, while still maintaining respect for the Bharat Sevashram Sangha.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Banerjee of defaming ISKCON, RKM, and BSS to protect Muslims and infiltrators, claiming these groups are TMC’s vote bank. Modi, at a rally in Bankura, said Banerjee was insulting Bengal’s heritage and culture and urged voters to respond to TMC’s appeasement politics.
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