Earlier this week, the All India Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament, Mahua Moitra, had come under the limelight because of her comments concerning Goddess Kaali.
Her comments were received with humongous amounts of hate on social media from numerous Hindu groups alongside other Right Wing political figures. This has led to numerous activists coming to the foray to bat for Moitra’s stand, enunciating upon the existence of a wide multitude of deities who distinguish themselves with the region and lingual traditions.
What Did Mahua Moitra Say?
At an India Today conclave held in Kolkata, Mahua Moitra was quoted saying, “Kali, to me, is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess.” These remarks went viral and led to widespread condemnation of the Krishnanagar MP all throughout social media.
As of now, four complaints have been received in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, two each from urban and rural areas respectively. Owing to the similarities existing in the four complaints, the four complaints had been clubbed into a single FIR iterating the hurting of religious sentiments.
Gopal Khandel, the Additional Superintendent of Police, said that the case had been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 295A (deliberately outraging religious feelings). These complaints had been received from Ranjhi, Madan Mahal, Panagar and Patan police stations.
It was Bhopal’s Crime Branch that led the way in registering an FIR against Moitra the previous week, and the number is only increasing.
Also Read: Complaint Against NRI Documentary Director Showing Goddess Kaali In Poster
How Is This Leading To An Increase In Misinformation?
India is a country that is as vast physically as it is diverse culturally. There remains a saying that states, “There is a cultural shift after every 50 kilometres in India.”
This statement still rings true through the length and breadth of the country as it is not just the language that changes. Even subtle nuances concerning how individuals lead their lives on the daily changes with each regional shift. More often than not, we try to fight for homogeneity in our Indian identity, however, India’s homogeneity begins and ends with the flag.
In this strife, most right-wing activists have begun blaring the cymbals for a homogenous Hinduism, forgetting the fact that the true identity of Hinduism lies in its uniqueness.
Mahua Moitra had stated;
“If you go to Bhutan, or go to Sikkim, for example, when they do the puja in the morning, they give whiskey to the god. Now, if in some place in Uttar Pradesh if you go there and tell them that you are giving whiskey as prasad, they will say, ‘My god! This is blasphemous!’ That’s one version of Kali. Kali, to me, is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. To me, that is the version of Kali.”
According to the Shakta tradition, the Goddess is offered karonbori, a form of alcohol, alongside offerings of meat which is treated as purely devotional. This tradition is mostly observed in Bengal, specifically in Tarapith, the sacred pilgrimage center in West Bengal for many Kaali devotees.
Thus, the fact that such a sight exists in West Bengal, the birthplace of the Trinamool Congress, it seems fairly incredulous to state that Mamata Banerjee has decided to distance herself from Moitra.
The party has gone on to state that they condemn her views, however, members of Opposition pirates have come to the forefront in absolute solidarity with the Krishnanagar MP.
The fact that the TMC has always portrayed itself as a party that celebrates diversity has now had a few holes shown in the face of adversity. Their belief in treading the rope of safety has arrived at the cost of propagating cultural “same-ness” and obvious misinformation.
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