A war of words erupted between BJP and TMC soon after PM Narendra Modi’s remarks that “the limitless blessings of Goddess Kali are always with India”, with the saffron party’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya attacking Mahua Moitra and her party by raking up her “meat-eating and alcohol-accepting” goddess statement. TMC reacted sharply, calling BJP’s idea of faith “unitary” and “not in line with the Constitution”.
Soon after Modi’s speech, delivered to mark the birth centenary celebrations of Swami Atmasthananda, Malviya tweeted: “PM Modi speaks reverentially about Maa Kaali being the center of devotion, not just for Bengal but whole of India. On the other hand, a TMC MP insults Maa Kaali and (Bengal CM) Mamata Banerjee instead of acting against her, defends her obnoxious portrayal. . . ”
Bengal minister Sashi Panja hit back, saying: “We have also seen that the Constitution allows the people of India to practise their faiths and religions in their own way. But BJP is almost imposing a unitary idea which is not along the lines of the Constitution.”
Reiterating the party’s stand on the Mahua controversy, Panja said: “TMC believes in the equality of all religions. Recently there has been a controversy over the poster of Ma Kali. TMC condemned it on the very first day it surfaced. ” Attacking Malviya in a Twitter post later, Mahua said, “Would advise BJP in charge for Bengal to tell his masters to stop commenting on things they have no clue about. Didi O Didi got them the boot. Now Maa O Maa will get them a foot on their chest”.
Meanwhile, a day after Mahua made controversial comments on Goddess Kali, Madhya Pradesh police booked the Trinamool MP for hurting religious sentiments and several police complaints were filed against her by BJP supporters in Bengal even as her party reiterated that it did not approve of her comments and it was for her to deal with the police action. The MP on her part remained defiant, saying she was “not afraid of anything”.
The FIR against Mahua in Bhopal under IPC Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments), a non-bailable offence, was filed following instructions from Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to the state DGP.
Chouhan said, “Mahua's statement has hurt religious feelings of Hindus. We will not tolerate disrespect to any Hindu gods and goddesses.” Separately, two more FIRs, one each in Bhopal and Ratlam, were filed against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for the poster of her film "Kaali" which shows the goddess smoking.
Mahua’s remarks came at a conclave by a media house in Kolkata against the backdrop of the row over the "Kaali" poster. “To me, Kali is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess,” she said at the conclave.
Mahua stood by her remarks, asking BJP “to bring it on” and declaring in a tweet: “Am a Kali worshipper. I am not afraid of anything. Not your ignoramuses. Not your goons. Not your police. And most certainly not your trolls. Truth doesn’t need back-up forces.”
