Shiv Sena backs Bhagwat's Mother Teresa remark, says missionaries wanted conversion

Despite the controversy the comment sparked, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday backed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark on Mother Teresa and said that all missionaries who came to India came with the objective of converting people.

An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna reportedly said, “What Bhagwat said was not wrong. He has stated the truth.”

According to a Times Now report, it said, “All missionaries who came to India wanted to convert people…Bhagwat has done a nationalistic thing by speaking the truth.”

“Muslims forced religious conversions with sword… Christians did it with money and in the guise of service,” it alleged.

“We have respect for the work mother Teresa did. Several social figures have done such service. However they did not carry out religious conversions,” it said.

“What the RSS chief has said will give boost to the ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign. We congratulate him,” the Sena said referring to VHP’s programme to “reconvert” people into Hinduism.

The RSS chief sparked a controversy with his comment in which he said Mother Teresa’s service to the poor was aimed at converting them to Christianity.

“People like Mother Teresa did good work and service. But the aim was to convert the poor to Christianity. This kind of service is devalued if conversions are done in the name of service or work,” he said.

“The question is not about conversion but if this (conversion) is done in the name of service, then that service gets devalued,” he had said.

Bhagwat has received a lot of flak for his statement. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted a tweet against the remark while Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Bhagwat’s comments as reflective of a “prejudiced mindset”.

“This reflects perverted mind of people making such statements,” the JD(U) leader told reporters in Patna.

“Condemn Mohan Bhagwat’s uncharitable remarks against Mother Teresa. Pl respect her dedicated service to the poor and under privilege (sic),” Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Twitter.

When Congress members led by Jyotiraditya Scindia sought to raise Bhagwat’s remarks during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu stood up to say that the Government has nothing to do with such statements.

(With inputs from PTI)