NEW DELHI, 28 December 2021, (TON): India’s government has frozen the bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity (MoC) in West Bengal, says the state’s political leader, dealing a blow to one of the country’s most prominent groups running shelters for the poor.

The move came after several right-wing Hindu groups disrupted Christmas mass in parts of India during the weekend, including in Modi’s parliamentary constituency in the most populous Uttar Pradesh state where local elections are due early next year.

Hardline Hindu outfits affiliated to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have repeatedly accused the MoC of leading religious conversion programmes under the guise of charity by offering poor Hindus and tribal communities money, free education and shelter.

Local media reported that the home ministry said a statement on Monday that the Missionaries of Charity’s application for renewing a licence that allows it to get funds from abroad was rejected on Christmas.

The ministry said it came across “adverse inputs” while considering the charity’s renewal application. It did not elaborate.