The Missionaries of Charity, the organisation set up by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa has responded Tuesday to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's controversial remarks on the Mother, slamming him as "ill informed" who should learn more.
"Mohan Bhagwat is ill informed. He should come and visit the mission to know more about our work," Sunita Kumar, the spokesperson of the organisation said.
"The mission works for the poor irrespective of their religious background. The people of the country and especially Kolkata remembers the Mother for her compassion and love for the poor. People in Kolkata and across the world cutting across religious affiliations revere the Mother," she added.
Earlier, the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had allegedly said that the motive behind Mother Teresa's service to the poor was converting them to Christianity.
Conversion to Christianity was the main objective behind Mother Teresa's service to the poor, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said Monday inviting sharp criticism from many quarters.
Bhagwat said, "Mother Teresa's service would have been good. But it used to have one objective, to convert the person, who was being served, into a Christian," he said while speaking at a function organised by NGO Apna Ghar in Rajasthan.
"The question is not about conversion but if this(conversion) is done in the name of service, then that service gets devalued," he said.
The remarks invited sharp criticism from opposition parties including Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India(CPI), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others while Shiv Sena has commended, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not made any official statement which further enraged Member of Parliaments in the House yesterday.
Albania-born Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity with its base in Kolkata was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. A year later, she was also awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980. Mother Teresa went to the Lord in 1997 in Kolkata. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
