Kali poster row: Mahua Moitra distancing herself from TMC?

News Network
July 6, 2022

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Kolkata, July 6: Distancing herself further from her party, Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member, Mahua Moitra, on Wednesday, reportedly unfollowed the official Twitter handle of the party. However, she has continued following the official Twitter handle of West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

The development is a likely fallout of her growing differences with the party leadership over her comments about goddess Kali at a recent media conclave in Kolkata.

While responding to a question on a controversial film poster showing a woman decked as goddess Kali smoking, Moitra said that for her Goddess Kali is a meat-eating and alcohol accepting goddess. In support of her arguments, she drew the reference of the iconic Tarapith Shakti Peeth temple in West Bengal's Birbhum district, where meat and alcohol are offered while worshipping Goddess Kali's "Maa Tara" version.
Her comments evoked strong criticism by the state BJP leaders who described Moitra's comments as an insult to the traditional Hindu religion. The BJP leaders even demanded Mamata Banerjee to take action against her party MP.

As things started getting serious, Trinamool Congress leadership distanced itself from the comments of the outspoken party MP and also issued a Twitter message condemning the comments of Moitra on this count.

In the Twitter message, the Trinamool Congress leadership said that views expressed by Moitra on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and not endorsed by the party in any manner or form. "All India Trinamool Congress condemns such comments," the Twitter message from the official handle of the party has read.

Moitra did not make any delay in reacting over the growing controversies. "To all you Sanghis lying will not make you better Hindus. I NEVER backed any film or poster or mentioned the work smoking. Suggest you visit my Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog. Joy Ma Tara," Moitra said in a counter Twitter message.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari demanded immediate arrest of Moitra for her controversial comments about Maa Kali. "I expect the police should react in a similar manner as they did by summoning suspended BJP leader, Nupur Sharma over the latter's controversial comments about Prophet Muhammad. We will wait for some more time and if police do not take action against Mohua Moitra, we will approach the Calcutta High Court against the Police," Adhikari said.

This is not the first time that there has been a subtle spat between Moitra and Trinamool Congress. Be it on the recent arrest of YouTuber and vlogger Roddur Roy or the recent rape and murder of a minor girl at Hanskhali in Nadia district in West Bengal, she had taken a stand against the party leadership and at times even Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. 

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News Network
May 10,2025

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New Delhi, May 10: In a detailed joint briefing today, India’s defence and foreign ministries dismantled Pakistan’s claims of major strikes on Indian infrastructure and exposed Islamabad’s alleged attempts to escalate conflict along the border. Here's a clear breakdown of 12 crucial points made by Indian military officials:

1. Pakistan’s Claims Are False
The Indian government called Pakistan’s statements about destroying airbases, power grids, and cyber systems “completely false” and “state-sponsored propaganda.”

2. No Damage to Indian Airbases
Indian officials categorically denied Pakistani claims of hitting Sirsa, Suratgarh, and the S-400 radar base in Udhampur.

3. Pakistan Used Multiple Attack Platforms
Pakistan employed UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles), loitering munitions, long-range missiles, and fighter aircraft to target military and civilian sites.

4. Civilian Infrastructure Targeted
Pakistan struck schools and a Medicare centre near Indian Air Force bases in Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur.

5. Over 26 Locations Attacked
India reported air intrusions and harassment attacks across 26+ locations from Srinagar to Naliya, along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border.

6. Limited Damage at IAF Bases
Minor damage occurred at four IAF stations: Udhampur, Patan, Adampur, and Bhuj — but all operations remain unaffected.

7. Heavy Cross-Border Shelling
Sectors like Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor saw intense artillery, mortar, and small arms fire — all met with strong Indian retaliation.

8. Pakistan Moving Troops to Forward Areas – Signals Possible Escalation
The Indian Army observed significant Pakistani troop mobilisation toward forward posts along the LoC. This movement, described as “indicative of offensive intent,” suggests that Pakistan may be preparing for a wider military escalation. The Indian armed forces are on high operational alert, closely monitoring the situation and ready to respond to any provocation.

9. India’s Response: Swift, Measured, Targeted
In retaliation, India struck only military assets — radar stations, command centres, and storage sites — using precision air-launched weapons.

10. No Damage to Critical Indian Defences
Pakistan’s claims of destroying India’s S-400 systems, BrahMos base, and Chandigarh ammo depot were debunked with timestamped visual evidence.

11. Pakistan Trying to Spread Communal Discord
Indian officials accused Pakistan of fabricating stories to stoke communal unrest in India — calling such efforts "doomed to fail."

12. India Committed to Responsible Conduct
India reiterated its commitment to non-escalation — “provided Pakistan reciprocates.” Officials stressed that India’s military operations have been calibrated and proportionate.

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News Network
May 14,2025

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Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw who was in Pakistan’s custody since April 23, has been handed over to India. The BSF said in a statement that Shaw was handed over to India at 10:30 am through the Attari border check post in Amritsar. 

BSF stated that Shaw is being debriefed after his handover. 

The handover was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols, said the force. 

"With the consistent efforts of BSF through regular flag meetings with Pakistan rangers and through other communication channels, the repatriation of BSF constable has become possible," said BSF. 

Shaw, a jawan of the 182nd Battalion, was detained by the Pakistan Rangers after he inadvertently crossed the International Border near Punjab’s Ferozepur. 

The jawan on duty was stationed near the border fence. He was in uniform and was carrying his service rifle, when he moved towards a shaded area for some rest. In doing so, he had crossed into Pakistani territory, where he was apprehended by the Pakistani Rangers. 

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News Network
May 8,2025

New Delhi: The government is briefing an all-party meeting on Thursday on the success of "Operation Sindoor" and its aftermath, as top government functionaries and opposition leaders met for a second time in a fortnight amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, J P Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government, while Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress and DMK's T R Baalu were among the leading opposition figures in the meeting.

Other opposition leaders included Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh of the AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule, BJD's Sasmit Patra and CPI(M)'s John Brittas.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi were also part of the meeting.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government wanted to brief all parties on "Operation Sindoor".

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The government had earlier called an all-party meeting on April 24 to brief leaders on the attack.

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