A charity run by Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun in India, has said she will continue to "serve humanity" despite the government's suspension of foreign funding.
Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for Mother Teresa's charity Missionaries of Charity, told Arab News that the organization was not concerned about funding and would continue to serve humanity.
"I have not heard of anything like this since I took over as spokesperson," said Sunita Kumar, referring to the closure by the Indian government.It may be recalled that the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs had decided to reject the Missionaries of Charity's license renewal application on Christmas day through which the organization could receive external funds.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the Interior Ministry had said that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act does not meet the eligibility criteria.
The Mother Teresa Charity, located in Calcutta, India, is one of the leading charities for the poor.
The company was founded by Mother Teresa in 1950. She was a Roman Catholic nun who died in 1997.
There are 3,000 Missionaries of Charity nuns around the world who run medical centers and schools, as well as care for homeless children and leprosy patients.
In a statement issued Monday, Missionaries of Charity confirmed the rejection of its license renewal request and said it would suspend its foreign funding accounts "until the matter is resolved."
The agency's request has been rejected at a time when intolerance against Christians is on the rise in India.
This includes incidents of disruption of Christmas gatherings in some parts of the country by right-wing Hindu groups.
The wave of anti-Christian tensions has reportedly spread to states under the control of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka.
The Indian Home Ministry has come under fire from social media users for rejecting the Missionaries of Charity's request.
Opposition leader in India P. Chidambaram has called it a "shocking" move.
The former finance minister tweeted on Tuesday that "this is the biggest insult to the memory of Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to caring for the poor in India."
The Bharatiya Janata Party has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
Arab News had tried to contact party spokesperson Sadish Verma but he did not immediately respond to questions.
