New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) The Opposition slammed the government on Monday for the alleged "freezing" of the bank accounts of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, even as the Union home ministry clarified that the action was taken by the bank concerned at the behest of the charitable organisation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the first to come out in support of the Kolkata-based organisation, claiming that the Centre's move had left "22,000 patients and employees" of the Missionaries of Charity "without food and medicines".

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As the government clarified that it had not approved the organisation's application for a renewal of its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration following "adverse inputs", the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at Banerjee for being "poorly informed".

"Poorly informed Mamata Banerjee gets it wrong, like always. This is what happens when you have an eye on Goa polls and religious polarisation and not governance is the only calling card. TMC's Bengal model of appeasement has limited appeal, won't work in rest of India," Amit Malviya, BJP's co-incharge of West Bengal, said in a tweet.

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He also shared a statement on Twitter issued by the Missionaries of Charity, clarifying that the home ministry had not ordered freezing of its accounts.

In the statement, the organisation said: "We have been informed that our FCRA renewal application has not been accepted. Therefore, as a measure to ensure there is no lapse, we have asked our centres not to operate any of the FC accounts until the matter is resolved."

"Missionaries of Charity issues a statement and it is exactly what the Ministry of Home Affairs has said. If the two are on the same page then whose propaganda is Mamata Banerjee peddling? Or is it a deliberate devious attempt to spread misinformation?" Malviya asked in another tweet.

Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma expressed shock at the Centre's action.

"This is indeed shocking. When Mother Teresa wins a Nobel Prize, India rejoices. When her organisation serves the poor and destitute, the government cuts off their funding. Disgraceful," Tharoor wrote on Twitter.

Sharma demanded the prime minister's intervention in the matter and an immediate reversal of the decision.

"Shocked at the Government's action of freezing the accounts of Missionaries of Charity. Condemning the cruel, insensitive and inhuman decision which will hurt the ailing and suffering poor the most," he wrote on the microblogging website.

Rajya Sabha MP of the Trinamool Congress Derek O'Brien accused the Centre of carrying out a "hit job" on the Missionaries of Charity and resorting to "spin doctoring and a cover-up".

He also accused the Centre of "intimidating" the organisation and "piling pressure to extract" a statement from it on the issue.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)