ISKCON Sends Rs 100 Crore Defamation Notice To Maneka Gandhi Over 'Biggest Cheat' Comment

Days after the controversial video of BJP leader Maneka Gandhi calling the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) as "cheat" surfaced online, the religious organisation has now sent a Rs 100-crore defamation against the politician.

"The comments of Maneka Gandhi were very unfortunate. Our devotees across the world are very hurt. We are taking legal action of defamation of Rs 100 Crores against her. We have sent her a notice today," Vice-President of ISKCON Kolkata, Radharamn Das said.

He then questioned, "How can an MP, once a Union Minister, lie without any evidence against such a big society?"

In a viral clip, the BJP leader is heard saying, "The biggest cheat in India today is ISKCON. They establish gaushalas for which they get unlimited benefits from the government to run them. They get huge land...everything. I just visited their Anantput Gaushala. Not a single dry cow is present. All are dairies. There is not a single calf. It means all of them were sold. ISCKON is selling all its cows to the butcher,"

Gandhi, who is an animal rights activist, alleged that the ISKCON sells cows from their gaushalas (cowsheds) to butchers. She then says, "They say their entire life is dependent on milk...Probably no one has sold as many cattle to butchers as they did. If these people can do it, what about others?"

However, ISKCON has denied the allegations as "unsubstantiated and false".

"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," spokesperson of ISKCON Yudhistir Govinda Das said on X (formerly Twitter).

Expressing surprise, the religious organisation says, "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 gaushalas were brought to us after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered,"

It further stated, "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 ISCKON gaushalas are recognised and lauded for their high cow-care standards by the government or associate of gaushalas."