Mahua Moitra puts TMC on spot with ‘meat-liquor’ remark on Kali, BJP says condemnation ‘won’t do’

Moitra made the remarks at an event, when asked about the poster of a documentary titled 'Kaali' that depicts a woman dressed as the goddess smoking.

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra during the Budget session of Parliament, 3 February | Credit: ANI Photo/SansadTV

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) found itself in a sticky situation Tuesday after comments made by party MP Mahua Moitra, about her personal view of Goddess Kali being “meat-eating, alcohol-accepting”, landed the party in controversy and invited the ire of the BJP.

The TMC was quick to distance itself from Moitra’s statement, and condemned it on Twitter.

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The comments made by @MahuaMoitra at the #IndiaTodayConclaveEast2022 and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM.

All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments.

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 5, 2022

However, the BJP, facing flak over its now-suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comment on Prophet Muhammad, was quick to launch an attack on the TMC.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted that “mere twitter condemnation won’t do”.

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Kaali, to me, is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess: TMC Mahua Moitra

Mere twitter condemnation won’t do.. let’s see if TMC files an FIR, arrests Mahua & suspends her from party… unless of course they secretly endorse what she is saying & this tweet is just damage control pic.twitter.com/HYYsJnSyeM

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) July 5, 2022

The Mahila Morcha of the West Bengal BJP is all set to corner the TMC, too. On Wednesday, a women’s delegation of the BJP will submit a petition to Kolkata Police seeking Mahua’s immediate arrest, ThePrint has learnt.

Moitra made the remarks at the India Today Conclave East 2022 in Kolkata, when she was asked to share her thoughts on the poster of a documentary film by Leena Manimekalai — titled ‘Kaali’ — that depicts a woman dressed as the goddess smoking.

“To me, Goddess Kali is meat-eating, alcohol-accepting. If you go to Tarapith temple [in West Bengal’s Birbhum district] and around it, you will see sadhus smoking. That’s the version of Kali people worship. I, within Hinduism, being a Kali worshipper, have the freedom to imagine my Kali that way,” she said.

After her views went viral, Moitra clarified on Twitter that she never backed any film poster or mentioned the word ‘smoking’.

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To all you sanghis- lying will NOT make you better hindus.
I NEVER backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking.

Suggest you visit my Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog.
Joy Ma Tara

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 5, 2022

Another Trinamool MP, Nusrat Jahan Ruhi, was asked the same question Monday at the India Today Conclave. She said she “always supported creativity separately and individuality separately but I have also believed religious sentiments cannot be hurt”.

“I wouldn’t want to hurt any religious sentiments,” she said.

This is not the first time that Moitra has been pulled up publicly by her party. In December last year, during an administrative meeting in her constituency Nadia, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rebuked the party MP over infighting in the district unit of which Mahua was the president. The video of Mamata addressing Moitra went viral.

(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)