TMC MP Mahua Moitra unfollows party on Twitter amid ‘Kaali’ controversy
The Trinamool Congress MP courted controversy after passing comments on how she perceives Goddess Kali, in reference to a recent film on the Hindu deity
Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitra is believed to have unfollowed the official Twitter handle of her party after they detached themselves from her comments made on Goddess Kaali on Tuesday.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave East 2022, Moitra said that it is up to people how they perceive Gods. “For me, Goddess Kali is a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess… I, within Hinduism, being a Kali worshipper, have the right to imagine Kali in that way. That is my freedom,” she said.
Within hours of her comment, the TMC’s official Twitter handle issued a statement condemning her statement saying, “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.”
In retaliation, Moitra unfollowed the party page, and now follows TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the microblogging platform.
Also Read:‘Never backed any film, poster’: Mahua Moitra clarifies amid ‘Kaali’ row
Moitra, however, late on Tuesday issued a clarification on her statements and said she has “never backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking”.
Her comments came in reference to filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s new movie ‘Kaali’, in which the poster shows the Goddess smoking and also holding a rainbow flag, which is a globally recognised as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Moitra was unavailable for comments on the latest development.
However, speaking to HT, party spokesperson Saket Gokhale said, “We have hundreds of thousands of followers on our public Twitter account. We don’t keep a tab on who has followed or unfollowed us… The party is not aware of the situation.”
He reiterated that Moitra’s comments are her personal opinion, and the TMC does not share her viewpoint.