Kolkata, 21 March (H.S.): The Bharat Sevashram Sangha has expelled a monk from its organisation after he decided to contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, stating that active participation in politics is against the core principles of the monastic order.

According to an internal circular issued after a meeting of the Sangha’s top decision-making body, Swami Jyotirmayananda, also known as Utpal Maharaj, who has been fielded by the BJP from the Kaliaganj Assembly constituency in Uttar Dinajpur district, has been removed from the organisation. The note stated that by choosing to contest elections, he had deviated from the path of renunciation, discipline and detachment expected from members of the order.

Reiterating its institutional position, the Sangha said it maintains strict neutrality in political matters and does not permit its monks, brahmacharis or associates to participate in or endorse any political activity. It further stated that any inclination towards politics or worldly affairs undermines the spiritual commitments that form the foundation of the organisation, and warned that similar violations would invite strict action in future.

Utpal Maharaj, however, told reporters on Friday that he had already submitted his resignation to the Bharat Sevashram Sangha headquarters before agreeing to contest the election on a BJP ticket, and that the organisation had merely confirmed his decision to dissociate from the order.

He said he was fully aware of the Sangha’s rules prohibiting monks from engaging in active politics and had therefore decided to step down from the organisation before entering the electoral fray.

Headquartered in Kolkata, the Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a socio-religious and philanthropic organisation that considers detachment from worldly affairs a central pillar of its spiritual philosophy.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh