August 31, 1999  

BY MADHU PANDIT DASA

I am writing this as the General Secretary of the Governing Council (Bureau) of ISKCON which is the highest managing authority of ISKCON India.

This is in reference to an article that appeared in the Financial Express on August 21st titled - 'ISKCON Accuses it Calcutta Chief of Misusing Property'. The article in question made a number of allegations against one of our ISKCON presidents, which were made by Dayarama Das, supposedly on behalf of the ISKCON. As the Secretary of the ISKCON Bureau I would like to point out that these allegations are totally false, malicious, and simply designed to discredit one of the ISKCON's seniormost officers in good standing, for ulterior reasons. Please note the following facts:

1. Dayarama Das does not represent the ISKCON bureau or ISKCON as a whole. He is simply a disciple of an ISKCON Guru, and only ONE of the many directors of ONE ISKCON branch - the one in Mayapura. Even this role he only took on this year. So he is no position of institutional authority. He is therefore simply acting in his own personal capacity.
2. The Calcutta President who has been falsely attacked in the article of disobeying the Bureau. Whereas he is actually a member trustee in good standing of the said Bureau.
3. The Bureau has never filed a single complaint against the Calcutta president in relation to his running of the 22 Gurusaday Road property or of nay other disobedience. Indeed many members of the ISKCON Bureau have stayed and enjoyed the facilities of this property.
4. The property at 22, Gurusaday Road, is not used for commercial operations. It is used only for temple programs and social functions for the benefit of temple members only, and even then on a donation-only basis. These donations are then used to support the temple and food relief programs.
5. The accounts for this property have been fully audited every year. The Bureau has never had cause to complain about these accounts.
6. The bureau has never stated that the property could only house a temple, nor have they objected to the rebuilding of the pandal on the property for purposes of social function.
7. According to ISKCON's administrative structure it is well within the powers of the Temple President to apply the property under his charge in any manner he thinks fit in order to promote the objects of the trust. Only selling or mortgaging of the property needs the explicit resolution from the Bureau.
8. The donation for the property was received from many donors. I have been informed by the Calcutta temple Accountant that Mr Tulsan has only donated a portion of the cost. Dayarama Dasa has purposely minimised the contribution of the role played by the other donors, because he is currently reliant on Mr Tulsan for help.

Thus all the allegations made by Dayarama Dasa against the Calcutta president in relation to the ISKCON bureau, and his running of the property at 22, Gurusaday Road are false.

Please also note the following, which may shed light on why these false facts have been furnished by Dayarama Dasa against the Calcutta President at this time:

1. ISKCON Calcutta has filed a court case against the Guru of Dayarama Dasa - HH Jayapataka Swami. This court case, which was filed in the Calcutta High Court earlier this year, exposes very clearly through signed documents, that all the current Gurus in ISKCON, have illegally usurped the position of Guru of ISKCON from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada. When Srila Prabhupada departed in 1977, he left signed instructions that provided for future members of ISKCON to accept discipleship directly from Srila Prabhupada. Instead however, in 1977, a coup was led by Dayarama's Guru, Jayapataka Swami and ten others, wherein they installed themselves as the new acaryas of ISKCON. Subsequently this group later presided over the expansion of more Gurus in ISKCON, so that today we have 70 new Gurus, and Srila Prabhupada has been removed from the picture. Thus the Financial Express newspaper has unwittingly been used as a tool to make false propaganda against the ISKCON Calcutta branch, which has nothing at all to do with the 'misuse of property', but everything to do with a disciple trying to hit back at his Guru having been exposed as an usurper.
2. Adridharan das and many other leaders worldwide, especially leaders of many Indian temples who have served for decades in this movement say that they have had enough of this game and have formed an internal reform movement by name ISKCON REFORM GROUP determined to fight deviation of the present Governing Body Commission from the order of Srila Prabhupada so that the noble mission of our beloved Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada is put back on proper rails as desired by him.
3. ISKCON Mayapur, of which Dayarama Das is one of the many local directors, until the court case this year, received large sums to the tune of four lacs every month as voluntary inter-branch donations from the Calcutta branch for many years. This stoppage of donations has irked the Mayapur management. Please note that it is only after the court case was filed that suddenly Dayrama Das has complained. Before that he was very happy to receive monthly donation for Calcutta branch to Mayapur branch, which he now claims is gathered illegally by misusing the property.

Thus the Financial Express newspaper has unwittingly been used as a tool to make false propaganda against the ISKCON Calcutta branch, which have nothing at all to do with the 'misuse of property', but everything to do with a disciple trying to hit back since his Guru along with 69 others being exposed as usurpers through the court of law.

Your servant  Madhu Pandit Dasa,
General Secretary,  ISKCON Bureau