Why was Mother Teresa given Bharat Ratna before Ambedkar, asks RSS

After raising questions over Mother Teresa's charity work, RSS on Tuesday alleged that B R Ambedkar was ignored while she was given Bharat Ratna 10 years before him.

On his 125th birth anniversary, RSS also equated the Dalit icon to Hindutva stalwart and its founder K B Hedgewar and claimed that his views matched its own on Article 370 and that he had supported complete transfer of Muslim population after Partition. Unveiling a collector's edition brought out by its mouthpieces, Organiser and Panchjanya, RSS General Secretary Suresh 'Bhaiyaji' Joshi said, "He (Ambedkar) was ignored... He struggled for social justice and reform but never rebelled against the society."

"He was given Bharat Ratna in 1990. In this country, Mother Teresa was given Bharat Ratna 10 years before him. It is a question worth a thought," he said. Ambedkar was awarded the highest civilian honour in 1990 by the then National Front government.

A few weeks ago, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was critical of Teresa, saying converting people to Christianity was the main objective behind her service to the poor. "Mother Teresa's service would have been good. But it used to have one objective, to convert the person, who was being served, into a Christian," he had said at an event. The Narendra Modi government and BJP, which looks up to RSS for ideological guidance, have launched a series of events to claim the legacy of Ambedkar with an eye on crucial Dalit votes.