Maneka Gandhi, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has received a Rs 100 crore defamation notice from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) for her remarks disparaging the spiritual organization. The notification was given two days after Gandhi said that ISKCON is the “biggest cheat” in the nation, alleging that it is selling cows to butchers from its gaushalas (cowsheds).
ISKCON had refuted the allegations, saying that it does not sell the animals. Now announcing the defamation suit, the organisation issued a statement describing the accusations as “unfounded” and expressed its “deep pain” at the “defamatory, slanderous, and malicious accusations” made by the BJP leader.
“Today we have sent a Rs 100 crore defamation notice to Maneka Gandhi for levelling completely unfounded allegations against ISKCON. The worldwide community of ISKCON devotees, supporters, and well-wishers are deeply pained by these defamatory, slanderous, and malicious accusations. We will not leave any stone unturned in our pursuit of justice against the fallacious propaganda against ISKCON,” Radharamn Das, Vice-President of ISKCON Kolkata said.
The legal notice also added that there is no record of Maneka Gandhi visiting the Anantpur gaushala of ISKCON in Andhra Pradesh. It said that she made the comments to deliberately malign the reputation of the organisation. The legal notice asked Maneka Gandhi to withdraw the remarks unconditionally and express regret, to cease and desist from making such comments in future, and to issue an unconditional apology and publish the same in all leading newspapers and social media platforms.
If Maneka Gandhi fails to take these steps, ISKCON will initiate legal measures for the ₹100 crore defamation suit, the notice added.
Gandhi, a former union minister and proponent of animal rights, has been outspoken on social media about concerns relating to animal care. In her recent video which went viral over the internet, she had claimed that a Gaushala run by ISKCON keeps only milch cows, and sells bulls and calves to butchers.
In the video, Gandhi could be heard saying, “They establish gaushalas and get benefits from the government to run these gaushalas. And they get huge land for that. I visited their Anantpur gaushala. Not a single dry cow was present. All were dairies. No calf was there either which means all cows were sold. So ISKCON is selling their cows to butchers. No one else does as much as they (ISKCON) do. And they do ‘hare ram hare krishna’ on the roads. They also say their life is dependent on doodh, doodh, doodh, doodh. No one has sold as many cows to butchers as ISKCON did. If these people can do it, what about the others?”
Sad reality of ISCON Temple
— INDIA Alliance (@2024_For_INDIA) September 27, 2023
ISCON temple exposed by Maneka Gandhi ji#ISKCON | @yudhistirGD | #ManekaGandhi | Maneka Gandhi | मेनका गांधी pic.twitter.com/2hgc7ED7Aq
Immediately after the video went viral, ISKCON issued a statement and said that the allegations put forth by Gandhi were baseless. “ISKCON has been at the forefront of cow and bull protection and care not just in India but globally. The cows and bulls are served for their life not sold to butchers as alleged. ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet. Within India, ISKCON runs more than 60 gaushalas protecting hundreds of sacred cows and bulls and providing personalised care for their entire lifetime. Many of the cows presently served in ISCKON’s goshalas were brought to us after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered,” the statement read.
“In recent times, ISKCON has begun training programs for the farmers and rural households on cow care techniques to help revive the culture of cow worship and care as was the case in previous generations. Several ISKCON Goshalas are recognized and lauded for their high cow-care standards by the Government of Association of Goshalas. Smt. Gandhi is a well-known animal rights activist and well-wisher of ISKCON hence we are surprised by these statements,” ISKCON added.
The defamation notice issued by ISKCON says that comments made by Gandhi have caused severe damage to its reputation and that the allegations leveled by Gandhi are false. The notice demands Gandhi withdraw her statements and issue an unconditional apology. “We will not leave any stone unturned in our pursuit of justice against the fallacious propaganda against ISKCON,” Vice President and Spokesperson of ISKCON, Radharaman Das said.
Exposing baseless allegations against @IskconInc ( LIVE from #ISKCON Gaushala Vrindavan) pic.twitter.com/EHtB6CD6lO
— Tejinder Pall Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) September 29, 2023
In the meanwhile, BJP leader Tejinder Pall Singh Bagga visited a Gaushala of ISKCON in Vrindaban and did a live video from there, showing that the Gaushala has calves and bulls, contrary to the claims made by fellow party leader Maneka Gandhi.
