BJP MP Defends Nupur Sharma, TMC MP Sees “Kaali” as “Meat-Eating, Alcohol-Accepting Goddess”

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, July 5: Despite the BJP having distanced itself from the alleged blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammad by its suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma, the party Member of Parliament Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday came to her support.

Speaking at a media house conclave, Ghosh blamed the violence erupting after her comment on “ideology” and not on what she had said. “Before Independence, there were riots and hundreds were killed. The world is afraid to speak against the ideology that is behind these violence.”

He said, “If you think what Nupur Sharma said is wrong, come and argue, give your logic in public, on TV. Instead of logic, you are taking out sword,” Dilip Ghosh said referring to violence that erupted over Nupur Sharma’s protest on Prophet Muhammad. Nupur Sharma has been under fire for her controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

When asked about the recent controversy over the ‘Kaali’ poster that depicts the Hindu goddess smoking a cigarette, Dilip Ghosh said, “There are always people who curse Hindutva to show themselves as progressive and secular.” “These ‘krantikari’ people say something controversial to get talked about,” he said.

The BJP leader said, “In India, Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi, everyone has their own identity. They have their culture, language, food, clothes. But the country is one.” Pointing out that in India ‘Diversity in Unity,’ Ghosh said, “Our value is to respect other culture. Problem is when politics enter this cultural identity.” “Love your religion and respect other religion must be followed,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP attacked the Trinamool Congress for one of its MPs describing “Kaali” as a “meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess.”

Though the TMC quickly distanced itself from Mahua Moitra’s comments on the Hindu deity, the West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said he demands the party take similar action against her as the BJP had taken against Nupur Sharma in suspending her from the party.

Speaking at the same conclave, Moitra reacted to the poster over Goddess Kaali smoking a cigarette and had said

“Kaali to me is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. You have the freedom to imagine your goddess. There are some places where whiskey is offered to gods and in some other places it would be blasphemy,” Moitra said.

“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,” said Moitra.

The party immediately issued a statement condemning her comments. “The comments made by @MahuaMoitra at the Conclave 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,” the tweet put out by the official handle of TMC read.

The BJP, however, was not amused. Reacting to Moitra’s remarks on Goddess Kaali, Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, said the TMC always “insults the Hindu religion” and that they would opt for legal remedies.

Adhikari also said the BJP expect West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to take action against Moitra in the manner in which the BJP took action against former party spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

The poster of the documentary film at the centre of the row recently went viral on social media with several people saying that the poster was an insult to the Hindu goddess and hurt religious sentiments.

The controversy erupted after filmmaker Leena Manimekalai shared the poster of the film on Monday in which a woman dressed in the costume of Goddess Kaali is shown smoking a cigarette. Along with her usual accoutrements of trishul (trident), and sickle, the actor playing the goddess is also shown wielding the LGBTQ+ community’s pride flag.

The poster of the documentary film sparked outrage in a sizeable section of social media. Many even called for the arrest of the filmmaker.