BHUBANESWAR: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for granting financial aid of `78.76 crore to the Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity (MoC).
Terming it an appeasement of three per cent of Christian population of the State, VHP Central secretary general Milind Parande said the Chief Minister announced the assistance after the MoC’s FCRA registration was declared invalid. “The most objectionable aspect of the CM’s announcement is that the grant to the charity was given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund ((CMRF). The CMRF is not meant for religious purpose,” he said.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for overlooking the interests of the majority Hindus in the State, Pande said hundreds of priests in the state have been pushed to poverty due to Covid-19 pandemic. “Multiple mutts are facing a severe financial crisis, but the Naveen Patnaik government has never provided any relief to them,” he said.