Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, stating that “idiots don’t understand idioms” as she defended herself over her alleged “derogatory” remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The TMC MP defended her comment, asserting that it was “idiomatic” and accused the police of twisting her words.
An FIR has been registered against Moitra under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) and 197 (imputations prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Raipur’s Mana Camp police station.
Moitra had allegedly said in Bengali that Shah’s “head should be cut off” for failing to check the infiltration of illegal Bangladeshis into India. Her comments, reportedly made during a media interaction on Thursday, sparked widespread backlash nationwide.
Reacting to the controversy, the TMC leader clarified her use of Bengali expressions and said, “Similarly, in the Bengali language, ‘matha kata jawa, we say lojjay matha kata chhe,’ which means that ‘you are so ashamed that you can cut your own head off. When we say matha kata jawa, matha ke tebi le rakha, it means taking accountability, owning responsibility. This is an idiom. Now, of course, idiots don’t understand idioms, which is where we are.”
The TMC MP said her words had been misinterpreted and that she was speaking in metaphors and idioms. She explained, “So in June of 2024, when the Lok Sabha results came out, an upke baar, 400 paar fell flat on its face. And the foreign media reported that the results, only 240 seats, was a slap in the face for Narendra Modi. Now, did the BJP’s claim really fall flat on its face? No. Did someone go and slap the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji on his face? No.”
“Then everyone said that heads will roll. Did heads roll? Yes, they did. These are what in the English language are called idioms, right? When you say heads will roll, it refers to when kings used to cut the heads off of people who were disobedient. And when you cut the head off, it starts rolling. A beheaded head can only roll. So you don’t really cut someone’s head off. It’s an idiom, it’s a metaphor for accountability,” Moitra further added.
