The
ISKCON Governing Body Commission,
ISKCON's "ultimate managerial
authority", is an organisation created within the
Hare Krishna movemement
to give the necessary leading impetus that its Founder Srila
Prabhupada had
provided. It is a registered society, no S/74662 under the
West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961, with
its offices at Sri
Mayapur Dhama, in the district of
Nadia, Western
Bengal.
At the moment the congregational membership of ISKCON seem to be
increasingly dissatisfied with the GBC, and are calling for reform
to the GBC and ISKCON structure in general. The GBC faces the
choice between continuing on its current course (in the face of what
appears to be deep discontent among the membership) or radically redefining
the way in which ISKCON works (with the risk that entails). As one
American social scientist, E. Burke Rochford, Jr. puts it:
"The GBC can make policy, but it often lacks the resources to bring it into fruition. The result is that rank-and-file members often see policy statements as strategy statements. The GBC votes for good things, but only occasionally puts up the funds to bring them about. This is a formula for cynicism."
There are also allegations that the GBC has been negligent in its duties
of Cow Protection in Vrindavana and Mayapur.