FIR on Mahua Moitra over Amit Shah remark sparks row as BJP slams TMC MP for ‘anti-Matua’ comment; she hits back, accusing BJP of using Sanatan Dharma for its benefit.
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NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra finds herself at the center of controversy after an FIR was registered against her in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur. The case, filed under sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 197 (imputations prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), arose from her alleged remarks targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and comments interpreted as insulting towards the Scheduled Caste Matua community and Sanatan Dharma followers.
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Moitra reportedly accused Amit Shah of neglecting border security responsibilities while interacting with the media in Bengali on August 28. Her fiery speech in Karimpur also criticized the BJP’s outreach towards the Scheduled Caste Namasudra community, saying:
“Throughout the year, you are Trinamool and during the elections, you are Sanatanis? What is this? A Scheduled Caste woman gets Rs 1,200 through the Laxmi Bhandar scheme …and in the SC/ST Namasudra booths, when the ballot boxes are opened, it is 85 votes for the BJP and 15 for other parties. Wearing wooden malas, all come to collect government doles, all have Swasthya Sathi cards and take Laxmi Bhandar benefits, but during the election, it’s the BJP.”
Her comments, especially referring to the sacred ‘Tulsi Mala’ as “wooden malas,” triggered outrage from BJP leaders, who alleged that she had insulted Hindu religious sentiments.
The West Bengal BJP unit strongly condemned Moitra’s remarks. State BJP spokesperson Shatorupa said:
“She has crossed all limits. After insulting the Union Home Minister, she has insulted the Sanatanis and Namasudras… Her remarks prove that Mamata Banerjee indulges in appeasement politics.”
BJP’s state legal co-incharge Tarunjyoti Tiwari also criticized Moitra for claiming that welfare benefits like Laxmi Bhandar and Swasthya Sathi schemes come from the TMC, asserting that such benefits are funded by taxpayers’ money and not a political party’s generosity.
Hitting back at the BJP’s accusations, Mahua Moitra accused the saffron party of monopolizing religion for political gains. She said,
“BJP leaders are the only Hindus certified to speak on behalf of all Hindus. Sanatan Dharma has been leased out to them for an indefinite period, and they, in turn, can peddle it for their benefit. The rest of us are all lowly insects watching in awe at this amazing new version of BJP Hinduism.”
Her counterattack reflects the deepening TMC-BJP tussle in Bengal, especially over the politically influential Matua community.
FIR in Chhattisgarh
The FIR in Raipur was based on a complaint filed by resident Gopal Samanto, who alleged that Moitra’s remarks could create fear among Bangladeshi refugees living in Raipur’s Mana Camp since 1971 and disturb communal harmony. Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh confirmed the registration of the case.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders in West Bengal also filed police complaints against Moitra in Krishnanagar and Kolkata, intensifying legal troubles for the Krishnanagar MP.
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