Amid the controversy over freezing the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Monday demanded the apology of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly spreading false news while calling her the "most communal force".
Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said, "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should apologize immediately. She spread false news on social media. Following this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a clarification. Mamata Banerjee resorted to dirty politics. She is also trying to divide the people in the name of religion in Goa. Mamata Banerjee is the most communal force."
Earlier today, West Bengal Chief Minister criticised the Centre over the Missionaries of Charity issue.
Taking to Twitter, Mamata Banerjee said, "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 and employees have been left without food and medicines. While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised."
Meanwhile, Missionaries of Charity issued a statement on Monday informing that its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration has been neither suspended nor cancelled. Further, it clarified that there is no freeze ordered by the Union Home Ministry on any of its bank accounts.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday said that it refused to renew the FCRA license of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) on December 25 after it received adverse inputs while adding that it did not freeze any accounts of MoC.
In a statement, the MHA said that the renewal application under the FCRA for the renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity was refused on December 25, 2021, for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011.
No request/revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity for review of this refusal of renewal, the ministry said.
The MHA said that considering the MoC's renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed.
In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved, it added.
"The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up to December 31, 2021. MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC. State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts," the MHA said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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