By: Vivek Kumar (Bangalore, India) Jaya Pataka Swami’s malicious disciples launched a new scheme to defame Iskcon Bangalore.
Being frustrated with their repeated failures to enter the Iskcon Bangalore, this time they shifted the drama to Iskcon farm in Mahadevapura (between Bangalore and Mysore). They used the innocent local villagers against the Iskcon authorities by presenting a mountain of blatant lies.
The innocent villagers, who were happy for last 18 years to have Iskcon farm as their well wishing neighbor, were not only crookedly turned hostile against Iskcon but also dragged into their unholy war by these property hungry disciples of JPS. All this for satisfying their lust of grabbing Iskcon property. Whenever their attempts seem to become futile, they shamelessly resort to defaming of Iskcon Bangalore and its leaders.
The allegations that Swami’s disciples made can be tagged as baseless, hopeless, envious, childish, untruthful, crazy, ignorant, and so on… The kinds of charges they have slapped against a spotless spiritual organization of Iskcon Bangalore neither go well with their devotional attire nor with their humanlike appearance. Charging Iskcon from duping the villagers in an 18 year old land purchase to blocking the irrigation canal which has been lying dry for decades, they have not left any stone unturned in mustering lies to blaspheme Iskcon. Despite knowing the truth well they have further alleged that Iskcon has encroached government gomala land.
Not satisfied even with this, they pulled yet another unfounded accusation from thin air that ISKCON has looted 2000 Crores.
Not a single allegation is backed up by an evidence. Nor have they ever tried to probe into these matters and find out the truth before accusing Iskcon Bangalore and its associated activities.
This time they have gone way too far from the real issue, both in distance and in relevance. All of a sudden some divine revelation came to these jobless Mumbai agents and they took up the charge of fighting for Mahadevapura villager’s justice against Iskcon Bangalore or to be more precise, against Madhu Pandit Dasa. Whereas in the first place there was no injustice happening at all. They feigned an injustice scenario and made MPD the villain of it. Then they
inspired the villagers to wage an aggression against him. Finally as usual, everything was spotlessly clean on Iskcon’s and MPD’s part and the necessary clarifications were also made, supported by relevant documents.
The lands in Mahadevapura have been acquired by ISKCON for the purpose of showcasing organic farming. The lands were legitimately bought from the farmers after paying them the agreed prices. All the necessary legal procedures have been followed and all farmers extended open support to the organic farming project and sold these lands. The sale deeds have been executed by various farmers out of their volition, it is very spurious to say now after close to eighteen years of completing the sale and ISKCON growing its crops on the sold land that they were forced and cheated of their lands. It should also be noted that no litigation or complaints have been filed by anyone against the land purchases. It is very unfair to say that we have deceived the farmers as we have paid the prices as asked by them and taken possession legally. We had made it amply clear to all the farmers that this is a project meant for popularizing alternative farming methods, we had not promised at any time to establish hospitals or schools as claimed by many. Regarding canal being blocked by ISKCON this is another baseless allegation. The canal is dry and there is no water being supplied to any of the farmers or to our farming facility. The canal ends at our boundary wall and it is unfair to say that we have blocked the canal. The allegations of torture and confinement are also totally baseless, no such incidents have taken place.
The allegation that we have encroached government gomala land is also totally baseless. We have applied for the said land, which extends to about 30 acres, and our application for lease of the gomala land for the purpose of setting up of a goshala to breed native Indian cows is pending before the revenue ministry. We have made barbed wire fencing bordering the gomala land so as to exclude the government land from our land and the gomala land is accessible to everyone. Our latest letter of request of survey to the government has been kept temporarily in abeyance as the process requires more time. Without conducting a proper survey how can anyone say we have encroached? Such statements are being made with ulterior motive of damaging the good reputation of our society. Also the government authorities have been giving contradictory figures about the extent of the gomala lands in their correspondences, so the claim that 61 acres is the extent of the gomala land by the some groups is itself unsubstantiated. Under the circumstances, it is very wrong on all concerned to assert that ISKCON has encroached government land and it should be evicted from the same. It should be noted that the Honorable High court has instructed the government authorities to conduct a proper survey and has stayed the notice of tahasildar. Any statement which goes ahead of this order of the Honorable High court and gives its own conclusions will only interfere in the process of judiciary and will mislead everyone away from the actual facts of the case and cause irreparable damage to the reputation of the institution. Any agitation conducted on the premise that ISKCON has encroached lands of the government will be liable for contempt of court.
Several other leaders have made comments that ISKCON has looted 2000 crores, there cannot be any statement further from truth than this. ISKCON thro’ its flagship programme of Akshaya patra has been feeding over 1.3 million students in government schools. It is very painful to see that baseless allegations are being hurled at such an organization which is rendering yeoman service to the society. The false allegations have been raised by innocent farmers and there leaders not on their own but due to instigation of ISKCON Mumbai and some vested interests.
They have misled the farmers by falsely stating that the lands in Mahadevapura are belonging to a family. The actual fact is that lands have been purchased mostly in society and partly in the name of its office bearers. The office bearers are holding these lands in the beneficial interest of ISKCON Bangalore thro’ an irrevocable endowment deed. The farmers being not aware of the malicious intent of ISKCON Mumbai are fighting against ISKCON Bangalore and its leaders without knowing the actual facts of the case.
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