Shashi Tharoor says Mahua Moitra attacked for saying what every Hindu knows, 'Bring it on, BJP,' says TMC MP
Shashi Tharoor said what devotees offer as bhog says more about them than about the goddess amid the row over Mahua Moitra's comment that Goddess Kaali, to her, is a “meat-eating, liquor-accepting' deity. Mahua Moitra on Wednesday said the Goddess Bengalis worship is “fearless and non-appeasing”.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday supported Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra's comment on Goddess Kaali that created a political storm where Mahua's own party -- the TMC -- has distanced from her comment and condemned it. What devotees offer as bhog says more about them than about the Goddess, Shashi Tharoor said amid the controversy created by Mahua Moitra's comment that Goddess Kaali, to her, is a meat-eating, liquor-accepting deity. Kaali poster row: After India's objection, Canada museum expresses ‘deep regret’ for causing offence
Mahua Moitra is being attacked for saying something what every Hindu knows, Shashi Tharoor said, adding that the forms of worship vary widely across the country. "We have reached a stage where no one can say anything publicly about any aspect of religion without someone claiming to be offended," Tharoor wrote in this tweet, a day after the political controversy over Mahua's comment began.
"It's obvious that Mahua Moitra wasn't trying to offend anyone. I urge everyone to lighten up and leave religion to individuals to practice privately," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said. Though he is used to such "malicious manufactured controversy", as he said, teh attack on Mahua Moitra surprised her, the Congress leader said.
Mahua Moitra's comment at the India Today Conclave on Tuesday drew flak from the BJP leaders who are demanding immediate action against the Trinamool leader. On Tuesday itself, the party condemned the statement and said Mahua's comments were in her personal capacity without any endorsement from the party. West Bengal BJP leaders said only dissociating from the comment is not sufficient and called for action like FIR or suspension from the party.
Coming under fire, Mahua Moitra clarified that what she said was not in the context of the movie the poster of which depicts Goddess Kaali smoking; but what happens in Tarapith in West Bengal (a Shakti Peeth) where the Goddess is offered mutton and liquor. Mahua also clarified that she never mentioned the word 'smoking'.
As BJP held protests against the Trinamool leader in Kolkata on Wednesday, Mahua Moitra unfollowed the Twitter account of the Trinamool Congress.
The Trinamool leader, at the centre of the raging controversy, however, has not taken a break from Twitter. She started her day with a jibe at the Centre for the LPG cylinder price hike and liked all tweets supporting her comment. Then she tweeted, “The goddess Bengalis worship is fearless and non-appeasing.”
“Bring it on BJP! 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 backup forces,” Mahua wrote.
Here's what Mahua Moitra had said:
The Trinamool leader said it is up to the individual how they view their Gods. "If you go to Bhutan or Sikkim, for example, when they do puja, they give whisky to their god. Now, if you go to Uttar Pradesh and say that you give whisky to your god as prasad, they will say that is blasphemous,” she said.
"For me, Goddess Kali is a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess. And if you go to Tarapith, 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.
Mahua Moitra said one has the freedom to envision a meat-eating Goddess as much as one has the freedom to worship a vegetarian deity.