Team News Riveting
Kolkata, July 5
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Mahua Moitra on Tuesday stirred a controversy by claiming that she has every right as an individual to imagine Goddess Kali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess.
The West Bengal’s ruling party swung into action and distanced itself from her statement and condemned it.
While taking part in India Today Conclave East held in Kolkata, the Krishnanagar MP said it was up to individuals how they viewed their gods. “For me, Goddess Kali is a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess. And if you go to Tarapith (a major Shakti peeth in West Bengal’s Birbhum district), you will see sadhus smoking. That is the version of Kali people worship (there). I, within Hinduism, being a Kali worshipper, have the right to imagine Kali in that way; that is my freedom,” she said.
Moitra was responding to a query about a film that had courted controversy after it had put up posters showing Goddess Kali smoking.
The Uttar Pradesh Police and Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) wing had lodged an offence against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for hurting religious sentiments with the depiction of Goddess Kaali in her movie ‘Kaali’.
According to the UP Police, she has been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, offense in place of worship, deliberately hurting religious sentiments and intention to provoke breach of peace.
The ruling TMC, however, distanced itself from the comments and condemned the remarks by Moitra. “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,” the party said in a Twitter post.
