Mirza faced criticism at the hands of the Twitterati for her stance on the matter. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Chief of Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks, questioning the motive behind Mother Teresa’s philanthropic efforts, have spiralled into a full-blown controversy. At the onset of this, Bollywood actor-producer Dia Mirza took to Twitter to lash out at the comments and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of parliament Meenakshi Lekhi, who jumped to the RSS member’s defence, reported the Times of India.
Bhagwat alleged that the primary objective behind Mother Teresa’s services to the poor was to convert them to Christianity, reported BBC News. His statement went on to attract a lot of heat, but Lekhi came to his rescue, citing an old interview with Mother Teresa, where she had said her job was to bring people to the fold of Christianity.
Read: Indian archbishop slams RSS chief over Mother Teresa conversion claim
Infuriated by Lekhi’s comments, Mirza expressed her revulsion over the comments on Twitter. “Shame on you #MeenakshiLekhi. You contort personal faith/work to validate a statement that should be condemned. #MotherTeresa.” She followed this with another tweet, which read, “Actually, you know what? I am ashamed. Of our thoughts, our actions and our words. #MotherTeresa.”
Since the controversy broke out, ‘#RSSQuestionsTeresa’ began trending on Twitter, with a multitude of negative comments directed at Mirza. Responding to the criticism, she tweeted, “The trolls are out and hard at work.” She then posted about her interreligious background, saying, “My father was Catholic, my mother is a Bengali, I was raised by my Muslim stepfather and I’m married to a Hindu. I am Indian.”
Other people have also jumped to the defence of Mother Teresa and her legacy, such as Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, according to The Hindu. Voicing his stance on the matter, he tweeted, “I worked with Mother Teresa for a few months at Nirmal Hriday ashram in Kolkata. She was a noble soul. Please spare her.”
Indian political party Shiv Sena has endorsed Bhagwat’s comments, stating he has only spoken the “bitter truth.” “Mother Teresa’s real motive was to convert people to Christianity... Conversions are a business for missionaries,” the Sena said in an editorial, NDTV reported.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2015.
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