The Jharkhand government has announced plans to rename the state’s network of community health centers after Catholic saint Mother Teresa sparking political upheaval.
Newsroom (28/07/2025, Gaudium Press )The Jharkhand government, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has announced plans to rename the state’s Atal Mohalla Clinics, a network of community health centers, after Catholic saint Mother Teresa. The decision, approved during a state cabinet meeting on July 24, 2025, will see the facilities rebranded as Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinics, honoring the Nobel laureate’s legacy of compassion and service to India’s marginalized communities.
The Atal Mohalla Clinics, named after the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister and a towering figure in the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), provide free primary healthcare services, including consultations, medications, and diagnostic tests, to the state’s impoverished populations. Approximately 140 such clinics operate across Jharkhand, a state in eastern India known for its significant tribal population.
Soren, who heads the regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party and follows the tribal Sarna faith, described the renaming as a tribute to Mother Teresa’s universal compassion. “It is a fitting gesture to honor St. Mother Teresa’s profound compassion for the sick and suffering, regardless of creed, caste, or color,” said former Archbishop Felix Toppo of Ranchi, speaking to UCA News on July 28, 2025.
Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her work with the poor. “She is an international figure, revered even among millions of Hindus in India,” Toppo added. Ajit Paul, a Catholic social activist, noted that Mother Teresa visited Jharkhand frequently, with her congregation operating at least five centers for the poor and marginalized in Ranchi alone.
BJP Opposition and Allegations of Conversion
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, Jharkhand’s opposition party, which previously governed the state. Senior BJP leader Amar Kumar Bauri called the renaming a “tactic to promote religious conversion” and part of a “larger conspiracy” during a media briefing in Ranchi on July 26, 2025. He questioned Mother Teresa’s contributions to Jharkhand, accusing the JMM of undermining the legacy of Vajpayee, the BJP’s first prime minister, who died in August 2018.
The BJP, led nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has long opposed Christian missionary activities, particularly among tribal and rural communities, alleging they foster religious conversions. Toppo dismissed these claims, accusing the BJP of spreading a “false narrative of religious conversion” since it assumed power at the federal level in 2014.
Political Backlash and Counterarguments
The JMM, in a press statement, defended the renaming, alleging that the BJP itself initiated the practice of naming government projects after its leaders. The party accused the BJP of attempting to “polarize votes in the name of religion and nationality” ahead of future elections.
The controversy underscores the broader tensions between the JMM-led government and the BJP, which has advocated for a Hindu-centric national identity. Jharkhand, with its diverse tribal and religious communities, has often been a flashpoint for such debates.
As the state moves forward with the renaming, the decision highlights the enduring legacy of Mother Teresa, whose work continues to inspire and divide in India’s complex socio-political landscape.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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