PM Modi says “TMC crossing limits”; Mamata Banerjee clarifies “not against Ramakrishna Mission or Bharat Sebashram…” but identifies a monk who allegedly tried inciting riots in Bengal

War of words erupted between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the latter’s identification of a monk who allegedly had tried helping BJP in the election battle. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Sunday alleged that a Bharat Sebasharm Sangha (BSS) monk named Kartik Maharaj (or Swami Pradiptananda) had been openly working at the behest of BJP.

"There is a maharaj in Behrampore; Kartik Maharaj. He says he will not allow any TMC agent in the poll booth. I don’t consider him a saint. I have great respect for Ramkrishna Mission and Bharat Sebashram but few are doing what they shouldn’t as a saint”, Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday at a public rally in Jairambati. Soon after that BJP accused TMC of insulting the order and the institutions. Prime Minister Modi on Sunday slammed the remarks as a “threat to monks”.

“Ramkrishna Mission, ISKCON and BSS are our spiritual identities. TMC is. ow attacking our faith…”, said PM Modi on Monday during a rally in Jhargram. But the war of words continued as Mamata Banerjee from an impromptu rally clarified her position by stating that her comments were not for the institutions or the order but for a specific individual.

“I am not against Ramakrishna Mission. Why should I be against an institution or insult it? Even I paid a visit to Maharaj (former head of the RKM) when he was ill. I have spoken about one or two persons. Bharat Sevashram Sangha does great philanthropic work and they also love me. I only mentioned one name and he is Kartik Maharaj. Two days before the election in Murshidabad, he incited a riot in the district,” Mamata Banerjee maintained her position on Kartik Maharaj.

Meanwhile Kartik Maharaj on Monday has sent a legal notice to Mamata Banerjee seeking an apology, claiming her remarks had defamed the organisation. "If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had defamed me personally, I would not have been concerned. As a spiritual leader, we are not affected by personal criticism as we are here to serve the people. However, she defamed the organisation, which is unacceptable”, Kartik Maharaj has been quoted by news agency PTI. But distancing themselves from the controversy, Bharat Sebasharm Sangha has called the comments made by Kartik Maharaj “avoidable” and without the endorsement of the order. The BSS statement which came from the order’s Kolkata headquarters said that the organisation has respect for the chief minister. “This should not have been said (the statement Kartik Maharaj made against Mamata Banerjee). No permission was sought from the organisation. This was avoidable and it is unfortunate. We will inquire into it”, the statement from BSS said.

Upping her ante against Kartik Maharaj, Mamata Banerjee iterated from her public rally in Onda, Bankura that “he (Kartik Maharaj) is free to do politics but not in the garb of a religious leader”. She, responding to PM Modi’s two back-to-back attacks on TMC in two consecutive days, once again reiterated that she had singled out one individual and not any institution.​