Why has ISKCON sued Maneka Gandhi for Rs 100 crore?

Following Maneka Gandhi's controversial statement accusing ISKCON of selling cows to butchers, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has initiated a legal action against the BJP MP.

ISKCON has reportedly sent a ₹100 crore defamation notice to Maneka Gandhi, labelling her allegations as unfounded and deeply hurtful to its devotees worldwide.

"We will not leave any stone unturned in our pursuit of justice against the fallacious propaganda against ISKCON," Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata, Radharaman Das, said.

Why?

• In a viral video from earlier this week, Maneka Gandhi, also an animal rights activist, referred to ISKCON as the "biggest cheats in the country."
• She claimed that the religious organisation's gaushalas (cowsheds) benefit from government support as land grants but indulge in the selling of cows.

• The Sultanpur MP also alleged that during her visit to an ISKCON Gaushala in Andhra Pradesh, she found no cows in good condition. Upon finding no calves at the said gaushala, she concluded all of them had been sold to the butchers.
• "They are the ones who roam on the road chanting 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' and claim their entire life is dependent on milk," she was heard saying in the video.

More on Maneka's claims: Maneka Gandhi accuses ISKCON of selling cows to butchers in viral video

ISKON's response

• Soon after the video floated, ISKCON strongly rejected the allegations. calling them "unsubstantiated and false." ISKCON's national spokesperson,
• ISKCON, also known as the Hare Krishna Movement, vehemently refuted Maneka Gandhi's allegations. Yudhistir Govinda Das deemed the claims "unsubstantiated and false".
• According to ISKCON, they have been dedicated to cow and bull protection, not just in India but on a global scale.

• Cows and bulls under their care are provided a lifelong sanctuary and are not sold to butchers, they said, and many of the cows in their gaushalas were either abandoned, injured, or rescued from slaughter.
• ISKCON has also taken initiatives to train farmers and rural households on cow care techniques to revive the culture of cow worship and care, they added.