Monk to fight election on BJP ticket; political trap, says Sangha | Kolkata News

Kolkata: Bharat Sevashram Sangha, in an internal note to all monks in the order on Friday, announced it has expelled Swami Jyotirmayananda —popularly known as Utpal Maharaj — who was nominated as the BJP candidate from Kaliaganj, Uttar Dinajpur. The Sangha cited his “falling into the trap of politics” as a denunciation of the mission of a monk. Utpal Maharaj, who viewed the step as standard procedure for the Sangha, stated that he had already informed the authorities of his intentions and resigned from the posts he held.In a letter to the organisation’s monks, Bharat Sevashram Sangha general secretary Swami Biswatmananda said Utpal Maharaj has “walked into the trap of politics” by joining a political party. The Sangha committee convened a meeting upon learning of his candidacy and decided to “expel him”. Swami Biswatmananda emphasised in the letter that Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a religious organisation dedicated to charitable work and is strictly non-political. “Neither a monk nor an ascetic can be part of any political activity,” he stated, reasoning that joining politics deviates a monk from religious life. He added that such a distraction is ill-advised, as a monk should not return to worldly affairs.When contacted, Swami Biswatmananda said over the phone, “We have issued a letter to the monks under the Sangha, and it is not a public document. It should not be discussed externally. However, we do not approve of any monk joining politics.”Utpal Maharaj was nominated by the BJP for the Kaliaganj constituency on March 16, following which he held a press conference to announce his decision. “I have no qualms over the steps taken by the Sangha, as it is the normal procedure within the organisation. I had already resigned from my post as the secretary of Kaliaganj and Kunor and sent a letter to the organisation conveying my decision,” he said.Utpal Maharaj expressed that he was pained by the deprivation of the people as rampant corruption has gripped the state. He noted that, over decades, monks and yogis have entered the political sphere to reconstruct society. “Whether it was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose or Rishi Aurobindo, monks and yogis have led the Independence movement. Whether in the novel ‘Anandamath’ or during the Sanyasi Rebellion, monks have paved the way for a better society. Temples cannot remain immune when the city burns. When I was given a chance to reconstruct society, I accepted it,” he said.Utpal Maharaj said he will remain in politics and maintain his monastic principles in the days to come. “I had no ambiguity in my mind when I took the decision. I consider this a part of the nation-building process,” he said.