The Bangalore branch of ISKCON is being accused of amassing wealth at public expense. It is also being hauled up for taking more interest in real estate than its original purpose, KR Arun Kumar & Chitra Karkera report
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON) in Bangalore is in an ungodly mess, forcing the BJP-led Karnataka government to order a house committee probe into its allegedly irregular activities. Allegations have been flying thick and fast that the organisation has siphoned off large sums of money from the government-sponsored Rs 379 crore-Akshaya Patra mid-day meal scheme that was supposed to benefit over 70 lakh schoolchildren. Besides, devotees are outraged that ISKCON, a philanthropic body, should be flirting with real estate.
The censure cuts across party lines, with critics calling ISKCON’s fundraising methods “highly questionable”. ISKCON is said to have been circulating photographs of famished children to whip up donor sentiment in its allegedly illegal bid to mint money. “This is simply inexcusable. We cannot allow any setup to portray the country in a bad light. The route ISKCON has chosen to collect donations is disgusting. We consider the matter serious enough to order a house committee probe into ISKCON’s functioning,” said Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar.
The Centre and the state government have been spending Rs 379 crore on the mid-day meal scheme that, since June 2003, has been providing free lunch to 69.26 lakh schoolchildren across the state. ISKCON is supplying cooked food to 3.67 lakh children, including those in Bangalore city, for which the state provides rice, among other inputs, as also conversion charges.
Things were running fairly smoothly between the state administration and ISKCON till DK Shivakumar of the Congress smelt a rat. Raising the issue in the House on July 23, he accused ISKCON of misappropriating funds received from the government for feeding schoolchildren. The irony is that when the Congress government was in power, there was only praise for ISKCON’s “humanitarian activities”. Impressed by its work, then chief minister SM Krishna had even awarded ISKCON’s Madhu Pandit Das the ‘Rajyotsava Prashasti’ — and at that time Shivakumar, a member of his cabinet, had stood by the CM. No wonder tongues are wagging about just what could have gone wrong in the interregnum to put ISKCON in such a spot. Shivakumar claimed that his earlier praise for ISKCON was wholly justified, and that the rot set in much later.
Said Shivakumar: “The law says no institution or foundation assisting the government in this project can raise funds independently. When ISKCON stepped in as a stakeholder it had agreed to all the rules and regulations set forth by the government — but later it brazenly defied government guidelines. And it has since been amassing money in the name of Akshaya Patra”.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON) in Bangalore is in an ungodly mess, forcing the BJP-led Karnataka government to order a house committee probe into its allegedly irregular activities. Allegations have been flying thick and fast that the organisation has siphoned off large sums of money from the government-sponsored Rs 379 crore-Akshaya Patra mid-day meal scheme that was supposed to benefit over 70 lakh schoolchildren. Besides, devotees are outraged that ISKCON, a philanthropic body, should be flirting with real estate.The censure cuts across party lines, with critics calling ISKCON’s fundraising methods “highly questionable”. ISKCON is said to have been circulating photographs of famished children to whip up donor sentiment in its allegedly illegal bid to mint money. “This is simply inexcusable. We cannot allow any setup to portray the country in a bad light. The route ISKCON has chosen to collect donations is disgusting. We consider the matter serious enough to order a house committee probe into ISKCON’s functioning,” said Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S Suresh Kumar.
The Centre and the state government have been spending Rs 379 crore on the mid-day meal scheme that, since June 2003, has been providing free lunch to 69.26 lakh schoolchildren across the state. ISKCON is supplying cooked food to 3.67 lakh children, including those in Bangalore city, for which the state provides rice, among other inputs, as also conversion charges.
Things were running fairly smoothly between the state administration and ISKCON till DK Shivakumar of the Congress smelt a rat. Raising the issue in the House on July 23, he accused ISKCON of misappropriating funds received from the government for feeding schoolchildren. The irony is that when the Congress government was in power, there was only praise for ISKCON’s “humanitarian activities”. Impressed by its work, then chief minister SM Krishna had even awarded ISKCON’s Madhu Pandit Das the ‘Rajyotsava Prashasti’ — and at that time Shivakumar, a member of his cabinet, had stood by the CM. No wonder tongues are wagging about just what could have gone wrong in the interregnum to put ISKCON in such a spot. Shivakumar claimed that his earlier praise for ISKCON was wholly justified, and that the rot set in much later.
Said Shivakumar: “The law says no institution or foundation assisting the government in this project can raise funds independently. When ISKCON stepped in as a stakeholder it had agreed to all the rules and regulations set forth by the government — but later it brazenly defied government guidelines. And it has since been amassing money in the name of Akshaya Patra”.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
1 comment:
Pl make sure that you publish both the allegations & the organisation's clarification. Especially when the news is not verified for its facts. Otherwise, people might draw wrong conclusions & this might affect innocent lives, in this case - the children who are the beneficiaries of TAPF
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