India: Sainthood to Mother Teresa objectionable: BJP leader

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Gupta on Wednesday stoked controversy by questioning the sainthood accorded to Mother Teresa describing it as “highly objectionable” and alleging that she indulged in religious conversions in exchange for the services she offered to the poor.

Talking to a private television channel, Gupta, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh (MP), said that “conferring sainthood on Mother Teresa by Pope Francis three days ago in the Vatican City is highly objectionable and questionable as she had converted many people including some children to Christianity without obtaining their consent.”

He said there was no question that Mother Teresa had served the poor in the country, but her act of conversions was troubling and the world should think about it.

A staunch supporter of Hindu fundamentalist outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Gupta said: “Mother Teresa could have asked the young girl after she turned 18 about her choice of religion. How can a child become Roman Catholic on his own? She did not even let children be ‘Protestant Christians’. Every child became a Roman Catholic.”

“A consent should be taken before converting anyone, but Mother Teresa converted hundreds of kids without their approval. Many other social activists and reformers gave selfless service, but gaining a title in lieu of service is objectionable. Did Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi ask children to change their faith after he rescued them from child labour? No. Did social activist Baba Amte convert people after serving them,” questioned Gupta.

Stating that he respects Mother Teresa for her service to the poor, Gupta, said, “India inherited slavery and many Indians remained poor after independence. The country could not do much for the poor, and that gap was filled by the likes of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity.”

However, Roman Catholic priest in Mandsaur Father Thomas Canady dismissed the allegations and said that Mother Teresa’s work has been accepted worldwide and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had honoured her in his radio programme — ‘Man Ki Baat’.

“There is no question of doubting the credentials of Mother Teresa. If a Member of Parliament or any other leader questions Mother Teresa, then it only reflects his narrow Hindutva ideology,” Father Canady added.

Pope Francis on Sunday declared nun Mother Teresa a saint in a canonisation mass at Saint Peter’s square in the Vatican City.