Thousand's of Monks rally in Kolkata condemning Mamata Banerjee's remarks; political tensions soar | Watch video

Kolkata witnessed a significant rally organized by monks condemning recent remarks made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against certain monks of the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevasharam Sangha.

The rally, named "Sant Swabhiman Yatra," was spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and members of the Bangiya Sanyasi Samaj, the apex body of saints in the state. It commenced from Bagbazar in North Kolkata and concluded at Shimla Street, the ancestral home of Swami Vivekananda.

During the rally, a protesting monk expressed deep resentment, stating, "We condemn the remarks by the honourable chief minister against us. We are pained and feel insulted by the derogatory remarks. She is not following Raj Dharma." 

The controversy stems from a recent election rally where Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Banerjee of threatening monks for political gain. Banerjee, in her defense, clarified that her criticism was directed towards specific individuals within those monastic orders and not the institutions themselves.

The political backdrop of this issue intensified when miscreants vandalized the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) premises in Jalpaiguri. The vandals reportedly threatened monks and employees at gunpoint early Sunday morning. An official from RKM suggested that the incident was linked to a local land dispute, allegedly involving a local land mafia. The RKM has since lodged a complaint at Bhaktinagar police station against the local tough and his associates.

The political tension has escalated as both the BJP and TMC leverage the incident to rally their supporters ahead of the upcoming elections.