After West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the central government froze all bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stated that it did not freeze any accounts of Missionaries of Charity. MHA further revealed that it was the Missionaries of Charity people who sent a request to SBI, wanting the bank to freeze its accounts.
Ministry of Home Affairs didn’t freeze any accounts of Missionaries of Charity (MoC). State Bank of India (SBI) has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts: MHA
— ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021
Additionally, MHA informed that Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was denied the permission to renew its FCRA registration under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and the renewal application of MoC was rejected on the grounds of not meeting eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 & Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR), 2011.
MHA says the renewal application under Foreign
— ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021
Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was refused on 25 Dec for not meeting eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 & Foreign Contribution
Regulation Rules (FCRR), 2011.
After MHA, Missionaries of Charity issues clarification, says its FCRA registration has not been cancelled, suspended
The clarification from the Ministry of Home Affairs came in the wake of allegations levelled by Mamata Banerjee that the Centre had frozen the bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity(MoC) in India. In addition to the MHA, even Missionaries of Charity have issued a statement over the matter. The group said its FCRA registration is neither cancelled nor suspended. Further, there is no freeze ordered by the MHA on any of the bank accounts, MoC said.
FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) has been neither suspended nor cancelled. Further there is no freeze ordered by the MHA on any of our bank accounts: Missionaries of Charity (MoC) pic.twitter.com/DNE2HsotvG
— ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021
“We have been informed that our FCRA renewal application has not been approved. Therefore, as a measure to ensure there is no lapse, we have asked our centres not to operate any of the FC accounts until the matter is resolved,” MoC said in a statement.
Mamata Banerjee’s allegations
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday tweeted that the central government had frozen all bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India. “Shocked to hear that on Christmas, Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food & medicines. While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised,” Mamata Banerjee tweeted.
Similar claims were also made by CPI(M) state secretary and opposition leader Surjya Kanta Mishra who claimed that along with bank accounts, the government had also frozen cash in hands of the Missionaries of Charity.