Kartick Maharaj sends legal notice to CM over 'monks backing BJP' remark

Two days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused certain monks of aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and following orders from New Delhi, Swami Pradiptananda (Kartick Maharaj) from Bharat Sevashram Sangha’s Murshidabad unit sent a legal notice to the Trinamool Congress supremo on Monday for defaming him.

At an election rally in Hooghly’s Jayrambati on Saturday, Banerjee accused ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission, and Bharat Sevashram of acting under instructions from New Delhi. She questioned why monks were getting involved in politics, singling out Kartik Maharaj by name. “I used to respect Bharat Sevashram Sangha. But I have been hearing the name of one Kartik Maharaj who said he will not allow Trinamool agent at the booth. I don’t consider him as a monk because he is directly in politics…I have identified people who are doing this,” Banerjee said.

The legal notice from Kartik Maharaj demanded an "unconditional apology" from Banerjee within 48 hours for her "innuendo/insinuations and imputation" remarks against the monk. It warned that if the TMC chief fails to respond within four days, Kartik Maharaj "fully reserves his right" to take further action, including initiating criminal cases against her.

Speaking to the media, Kartik Maharaj confirmed serving the legal notice and claimed Banerjee’s accusations were baseless. “She has accused me of giving calls to drive away Trinamool Congress agents from the polling booths. I have never said such things. I am a monk. I am not associated with any political party. The Chief Minister will never be able to prove her accusations,” he said.