Decode Politics: Caught in Mamata, BJP crossfire amid polls, who is Sevashram Sangha monk Kartik Maharaj

A monk finds himself at the centre of the latest row between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP in West Bengal amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

On Monday, Kartik Maharaj, the secretary of the Beldanga branch of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Murshidabad, sent a legal notice to Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, demanding an apology from the CM for her alleged defamatory comments about his organisation.

Kartik Maharaj, who is also known as Pradiptananda Maharaj, referred to Banerjee’s purported remarks that some monks of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission were allegedly working against the TMC to help the BJP in the elections in Bengal.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hit out at Banerjee, saying she was “threatening” these organisations.

Here is a look at what is the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and why is Karthik Maharaj in the spotlight.

What were Mamata, Modi remarks?

On Saturday, while speaking at a rally in Hooghly’s Jayrambati town, which is the birthplace of Sarada Devi, the wife of religious leader Sri Ramakrishna, Banerjee alleged that some members of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and the Ramakrishna Mission were working at the behest of the BJP leadership.

“There is a maharaj in Berhampore… I have been hearing about him for a long time. Kartik Maharaj says he will not allow any TMC agent in the poll booth. I do not consider him a saint because he is directly involved in politics and is ruining the country. I used to respect Bharat Sevashram Sangha a lot. It has been on my list of respected organisations for a long time,” the CM said.

“Some monks of Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi. Those who are