Missionaries of Charity says RSS chief 'misinformed'

Missionaries of Charity Tuesday described RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as "uninformed" in the light of his conversion remarks. The Diocese of Calcutta too termed the comments "unfortunate".

"His (Bhagwat) comments reflect how misinformed he is. In Missionaries of Charity, there is no place for conversion. His comments are unfortunate," Mother Teresa's close associate and Missionaries of Charity spokesperson Sunita Kumar told IANS.

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Bhagwat, while addressing a function of an NGO near Bharatpur in Rajasthan, had said the Nobel laureate's service to the poor was aimed at converting them to Christianity.

Sunita Kumar, however, said Missionaries of Charity will not press for an apology from Bhagwat.

"If he realises he has done something wrong, he will apologise. It's for him to decide," she said.

The Diocese of Calcutta, Church of North India too called Bhagwat's remark "unfortunate".

"It's not India but the entire world knows about the contribution that Mother Teresa made to the society and humankind. It's unfortunate that her name is being dragged for political reasons," diocese secretary Abir Adhikari told IANS.

"People from various religions had worked with Mother Teresa and nobody said anything. It's unfortunate that something like conversion is being associated with her," Adhikari added.

Bhagwat's comments evoked strong response from several quarters with the Congress even raising the matter in the Lok Sabha.