‘Nothing less than the Taliban regime’: BJP slams Mamata after attack on monks of Ramakrishna Mission in Jalpaiguri

The BJP on Monday criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, blaming her for the attack on monks of the Ramakrishna Mission in Jalpaiguri. Senior party leader Amit Malviya called it the “worst thing” she could have done to the state and claimed it came after her “threatening” statements against the Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and ISKCON.

“This is the worst thing Mamata Banerjee could have done to West Bengal. After threatening Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangh and ISKCON from an open stage, criminals with firearms and daggers entered the Ramakrishna Mission ashram under Kotwali PS in Jalpaiguri, attacked the monks, destroyed CCTV, brandished firearms, held the Sadhus violently arrested them and threw them on roads. “This is nothing less than a Taliban regime,” he said in a post on X.

According to police, the Ramakrishna Mission building on Sevoke Road in Jalpaiguri was allegedly attacked by a group of miscreants with firearms who entered the premises late on Saturday evening. They beat up the security guard and some workers at the ashram and threatened to kill them. Before leaving, they vandalized the ashram premises and damaged the security cameras.

The ashram authorities have lodged a written complaint while the police have launched an investigation into the incident.

On May 18, Banerjee alleged that some monks of the Ramakrishna Mission or the Bharat Sevashram Sangha were working “on the instructions of the BJP”. “Some monks of Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi. While.” Those who run temples do laudable spiritual work, but not all are involved in such activities. “We respect the monks,” she said at an election rally in Goghat in Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency.

The statement drew sharp criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claimed it was “under pressure from Muslim extremists” and threatened these socio-religious organizations to “appease” the TMC’s vote bank. During a rally in Purulia on Sunday (May 19), he had criticized the TMC for crossing the bounds of decency by “spreading falsehoods against ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha”.

However, earlier in the day she tried to soften her stance by praising the two monastic orders for their philanthropic works and saying she was not against any institution but was criticizing one or two people for engaging in politics.

“I am not against the Ramakrishna Mission. Why should I be against or insult an institution? I was talking about one or two people,” she said while addressing an election rally in Bankura’s Onda.

The Prime Minister also praised the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and said it was working for the people. “I had spoken about Kartik Maharaj, he did not allow the Trinamool Congress representative to sit (at a polling booth) in Rejinagar,” she said.

She alleged that the Bharat Sevashram Sangha monk from Murshidabad district was working for the BJP and accused him of instigating people when clashes broke out between two groups in Rejinagar. “If he wants to do BJP, he can, but he should do it with his badge,” she said.

Kartik Maharaj, or Swami Pradiptananda Maharaj, has since sent a legal notice to the CM demanding an apology for her allegedly defamatory comments about the organization. “If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had defamed me personally, I would not have been worried. As a spiritual leader, we are not affected by personal criticism because we are here to serve people. However, she defamed the organization, which is unacceptable.”

However, national sangha secretary Swami Biswatmananda Maharaj said he was not aware of the matter.