On July 6, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra unfollowed the party’s official Twitter handle. The move allegedly came after TMC distanced itself and condemned the remarks by Moitra on Maa Kaali over a poster of the film where she was depicted as a cigarette-smoking Goddess.
When we checked the archived page of Moitra’s Twitter account on Archive.org, it showed the TMC leader used to follow two accounts. The earliest archive of her profile was available from June 27.
However, now Moitra only follows TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the social media platform.
Moitra’s remarks and TMC’s reaction
On July 5, while speaking at India Today Conclave East 2022, Mahua Moitra made controversial remarks about Maa Kaali. She said for her, Maa Kali was a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. She added, “When you go to Sikkim, you will see that they offer whiskey to Goddess Kaali. But if you go to Uttar Pradesh, and if you tell them that you offer whiskey to the goddess as ‘prasad’, they will call it blasphemy.”
She further published a tweet where she claimed she did not support any film and asked people criticising her to visit Tarapith Temple. She wrote, “To all you sang his- 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.”
TMC condemned Moitra’s remarks
Following her remarks, TMC quickly condemned the statement and distanced itself much before the controversy was further fired upon on the social media platform. In its statement, the party said, “The comments made by Mahua Moitra at the India Today Conclave East 2022 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.”
Following TMC’s statement, Moitra published another tweet with the National Emblem without adding any comments.
The controversial documentary-film ‘Kaali’
On July 2, film director Leena Manimekalai announced the screening of her film Kaali with a poster depicting Maa Kaali smoking a cigarette. The poster attracted sharp criticism, and the chain of events led to the High Commission of India in Ottawa urging the local authorities to bar the film from screening. Furthermore, on July 5, Aga Khan Museum and Toronto Metropolitan University issued statements on the matter. While the Museum said the screening of the event had been stopped, the University removed the controversial film from the further screening of the program. Leena, whose first tweet on the film has been withheld in India after legal demand by the Government of India, has yet to issue any statement on the matter.
