New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday slammed the government and media for not giving attention to the rejection of renewal of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity (MoC) and alleged that “after Muslims, Christians are the new target of the Hindutva brigade”.
Taking to Twitter, he said: “Did you notice that the mainstream media has banished the story of MHA-FCRA-Missionaries of Charity from its pages? Sad and shameful! The rejection of renewal to MoC is a direct attack on NGOs who are doing yeoman service for the ‘poor and wretched’ of India. In the case of MoC, it reveals bias and prejudice against Christian charity work. After Muslims, Christians are the new target of the Hindutva brigade.”
On Tuesday, slamming the Ministry of Home Affairs for refusing to renew FCRA over “some adverse inputs”, he said: “Nothing can be more shocking than denying future foreign contributions to the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, West Bengal. This is the greatest insult to the memory of Mother Teresa who devoted her life to care for the ‘poor and wretched’ of India.”
According to him, the MHA, should put to use its “Sherlock Holmes-like” skills to quell communal violence, terrorist activities and not suppress Christian charity and humanitarian work. It has become clear that the Modi government is now “targeting the Christians to advance its majoritarian agenda”.
Dubbing the denial “shocking”, former Union Minister, Anand Sharma, said: “Shocked at the government’s action of freezing the accounts of Missionaries of Charity. Condemning the cruel, insensitive and inhuman decision which will hurt the ailing and suffering poor the most. Demand PM’s intervention and immediate reversal.”
Meanwhile, the Centre, on Monday, clarified that it had not frozen the bank accounts of the Missionaries of Charity.
The ministry also said that the renewal application of FCRA to MoC was refused on December 25 for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011.
No request or revision application has been received from MoC for reviewing the refusal of renewal, it added.