Teresa canonisation sparks Mother of all junkets for VIPs

NEW DELHI: Mother Teresa will be anointed a saint on Sunday and India’s politicians are in a mad dash to travel to the Vatican to witness the historic event, most of them possibly at public expense.

At least a central minister, two chief ministers, a number of politicians and civil servants will travel to the Holy See to witness the canonisation of Mother Teresa.

The list of visitors include leaders from West Bengal, Delhi, invitees from Mother Teresa’s organisation, Missionaries of Charity, as well as leaders from states with big Christian populations such as Kerala or Goa.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will lead the official Indian delegation, whose full composition is unknown. But the decision has already angered Sangh Parivar, which views the Albania-born Mother Teresa as a missionary who came to India to convert Hindus.

But the biggest share of invites appears to have gone to Mother Teresa’s adopted home state, West Bengal, as well as Kerala.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her party leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien, state chief secretary Basudeb Bandyopadhyay are among those going. Sister Mary Prema, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity will accompany Banerjee. Five top nuns are also going to the Vatican.

Senior Roman Catholic Diocese of Kolkata sources told HT that the Bengal politicians are going as guests of the Missionaries of Charity, which refused comment.

Surprise visitors are Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his private secretary Bibhaw Kumar and public works minister Satyendra Jain. Sources said the city government will bear the expense of their trip but the costs are not known. Both Kejriwal and Jain are going to the Vatican on a personal invite from the Missionaries of Charity.

Delhi chief secretary KK Sharma and Jain’s secretary DC Goel were also supposed to go but the request was turned down by lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, sources said. Two special invitees of the Vatican are Mother Teresa’s cardiologist AK Bardhan and his wife Seba, who treat Monica Besra. Besra was reportedly cured by a miracle attributed to the venerated nun, paving the way for her elevation as a saint.

But that is not all. A number of politicians and religious leaders from Kerala, Goa, the northeastern states and Tamil Nadu — all with substantial Christian populations — will join the delegation.

Kerala is sending two ministers — finance minister Thomas Issac and water resources minister Mathew T Thomas. Three Congress Lok Sabha MPs KV Thomas, Jose K Mani and Anto Antony, besides BJP leader KJ Alpons are also going to Rome.

From the northeast, Meghalaya MP Conrad Sangma, a BJP ally, will accompany Swaraj. Top church leaders from the region are also headed there. Sangma and Goa deputy chief minister Francis D’Souza are likely to be part of Swaraj’s delegation.

(With Vishal Kant in Delhi, Ramesh Babu in Thiruvananthapuram and Rahul Karmakar in Guwahati)