"You cannot choose the time of battle. The bugle has sounded – citizens of our republic need to fight now, no matter what your personal and professional circumstances are," Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra said in her fiery speech in the Lok Sabha on 3 February, even as she later alleged that the chair cut her off before her allotted time was over.
Five months later, Moitra asserted similar sentiments, as she found herself at the centre of yet another controversy.
"I 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," she tweeted on 6 July.
Moitra's tweet came after BJP's Jiten Chatterjee and a dozen other leaders filed a complaint against her, accusing her of hurting religious sentiments through her remarks on the controversial poster of Leena Manimekalai's documentary Kaali. In Bhopal, the police registered an FIR against the TMC lawmaker under Section 295A (outraging religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code, after a complaint by a 52-year-old resident.
The 47-year-old's tweet, in which she indicates her 'choice to fight,' came even as her party distanced itself from the controversy, clearly stating that the TMC does not endorse Moitra's remarks.
The 'Freedom' To Imagine Kaali
Speaking at a news channel conclave, Moitra came out in support of the controversial poster of the documentary film Kaali, which showed the actor playing the goddess with a cigarette in her hand.
"Within Hinduism, being a Kali worshipper, I have the freedom to imagine my Kali in that way. That is my freedom and I don't think anyone's sentiments should be hurt. I have the freedom as much as you have to worship your God," she said.
Within minutes, her party tweeted, tagging her, that it 'strongly condemns' such comments. Within days, there were multiple FIRs against the parliamentarian.
No Stranger to Speaking Her Mind
The former banker is no stranger to speaking her mind, as was evident from her very first speech in Parliament in 2019, which won over the internet and made it to the front pages of national dailies. The parliamentarian was not only highly critical of the BJP but also drew attention to seven indicators that showed "there is a danger of fascism rising in India."
Moitra's journey from being the vice-president of JP Morgan to spokesperson and MP from the Trinamool Congress has also often been written about.
She quit her banking job in London in 2008 to come back to India and join politics. She first ventured into the Congress and then joined the Trinamool Congress in early 2010.
In 2016, she won her first election for the party from the Karimpur constituency in the West Bengal Assembly elections and was sent to Parliament from Krishnanagar in 2019.
In yet another viral speech on the floor of the House in 2019, Moitra took on the UAPA bill. She said:
"Why are we in the Opposition always at the risk of being called anti-national when we disagree with this government on issues of national security, law & order or policing? Every time we disagree with this government, its troll armies, its propaganda machine works overtime to call us terrorist sympathisers, to call us 'sickular', to call us 'anti-national'?”
In her 3 February speech, which yet again made headlines, the TMC leader said:
"I stand before you to vehemently disagree with that assessment and to ask the most important question that faces us all – what kind of India do we want? What is our idea of India that we are willing to stand up for, fight for, be abused for, get jailed for?"
'Judiciary No Longer Sacred'
Her Motion of Thanks on 8 February earlier this year was the talk of the town, with her remarks over the allegations of sexual harassment against former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi at the centre of the storm. Without naming the former CJI, Moitra said:
"The sacred cow that was the judiciary is no longer sacred. It stopped being sacred the day a sitting chief justice of this country was accused of sexual harassment, presided over his own trial, cleared himself and then proceeded to accept a nomination to the Upper House within three months of retirement, complete with Z-plus security cover."
Although Moitra did not name Gogoi, the Lok Sabha witnessed an uproar from MPs on the treasury benches, who vehemently opposed her remarks.
A 35-year-old woman accused Gogoi of sexual harassment in April 2019. The former junior court assistant submitted an affidavit to 22 judges of the Supreme Court outlining how the then CJI had sexually harassed her, and how she was further victimised and dismissed from her post. The apex court took suo motu cognisance of the allegations but had then followed it up with the creation of a special bench, headed by the accused (also the CJI) himself.
The Run-Ins With TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee
The Kaali controvery is not the first time Moitra's stance has been different from that of her party.
In December 2021, a video from an alleged internal administrative meeting of the TMC went viral, in which party chief Mamata Banerjee was seen rebuking Moitra.
"Mahua, let me give you a clear message here. I do not see who is in whose favour or against. I do not believe in the politics of putting up a show on YouTube, paper, digital etc. This kind of politics can not sustain for long. And it is not right to expect that one person will be at one post forever," Banerjee is heard saying, with Moitra nodding.
Just two moths ago in April, there was another issue over which Moitra and Banerjee differed – when the former went to visit the family of the 14-year-old minor who was allegedly gang-raped and hurriedly cremated thereafter. The victim allegedly bled to death, reports said. The incident took place in Hanskhali, a town near Moitra's constituency. The son of a local TMC leader is the prime accused in the case.
"The question of consent is being talked about. You know, even consensual sex with a minor is illegal, it is rape in the eyes of the law. That’s (the) most important (thing). And the [Protection of Children from Sexual Offences] is being applied here," she said, reported The Wire.
"How do you know if she was raped or was pregnant or had a love affair or was sick? Even family knew it was a love affair. If a couple is in a relationship, how can I stop them?" Banerjee said, triggering a political row with the BJP.
While multiple reports claim that Moitra unfollowed Trinamool Congress on Twitter after the Kaali controversy, The Quint cannot independently verify the authenticity of the same.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)