'Idioms not for idiots': Mahua Moitra slams FIR over Amit Shah remark
When you use Google Translate from Bengali to English and English to Hindi to file fake FIRs, this is what happens, says TMC MP
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra is not new to controversies. And neither is she is known for taking attacks from political opponents lying down.
After an FIR was registered against her in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, against her allegedly derogatory remark on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the firebrand parliamentarian hit back at the BJP, saying “idiots don’t understand idioms”.
Moitra, who represents Krishnanagar constituency located in West Bengal’s Nadia district bordering Bangladesh, clarified that the comment she made on the home minister was “idiomatic” and that the police twisted her words, agencies reported. She said the Bengali idiom she uttered is a metaphor for accountability.
What happened?
On Thursday (August 28), while speaking with reporters on the sidelines of an event in Nadia district, the MP slammed the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was avoiding its responsibility to secure the border and prevent infiltration.
Also read: Chhattisgarh: FIR against TMC MP Moitra for 'objectionable' remarks against Shah
She also took on Shah, saying in Bengali, “promothei to Amit Shaher matha ta kete table e deoa uchit” ("Amit Shah’s head should be severed and kept on the table") to explain how grave the problem of infiltration from Bangladesh has become and that the Home Minister failed to address it effectively.
The leader, who was seen posting videos on the matter to explain her position, spoke about the use of Bengali expressions in one of them. She said that when one says in Bengali, “matha kata jawa, matha ke table e rakha,” it means taking accountability and owing responsibility.
My answer to the Mundu Kata Hoo Haa. Listen up Saffron folks. @AITCofficial pic.twitter.com/3Y7h90HBK6
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) August 30, 2025
Moitra recites Sukumar Ray poem
Moitra also recited a poem from Sukumar Ray, a renowned Bengali writer and poet and the father of the late film maestro Satyajit Ray, who was known for his humorous creations, especially for children. She mocked the BJP, saying that while the saffron party dreams of conquering Bengal in elections, it still has to understand the pulse of Bengali culture.
Also read: MP Kalyan Banerjee slams Mahua Moitra after TMC accepts resignation
She said that had the BJP known a little about the Bengali language and culture, it would have known what is “mundu kata” (loss of face). Moitra also advised the Opposition party in Bengal to read up Sukumar Ray.
TMC leaders said Moitra’s words were misinterpreted and that she spoke in metaphors and idioms.
Idioms are not for Idiots. For those asking -here’s my reaction. @CG_Police you just got a slap in the face from HC for last fake case you filed & withdrew it with your tail between your legs. Stop listening to BJP Masters - you will only get egg on your face.@IndiaToday… pic.twitter.com/JyawSxmEd1
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) August 31, 2025
Moitra drew more parallels to drive home her point. In another X post, she said when the foreign media reported that the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were a slap in the face of PM Modi, did someone really slap the prime minister? “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?” she said.
Misinterpreted, says MP
Moitra alleged that the FIR filed against her was based on Google’s translation. She cited the FIR, “Mahua Moitra ne kaha gala kaat diya. I said, matha ke tebile, (Mahua Moitra said behaded while I said put you head on the table) that's a lot different from gala kaat diya (beheading). When you use Google Translate from Bengali to English and English to Hindi to file fake FIRs, this is what happens."
Also read: Mahua Moitra mocks PM Modi’s Maa Kali invocation, revives ‘dhokla’ jibe
She slammed the Chhattisgarh Police saying they received a slap from the high court for a fake case, which they later withdrew with their tails between the legs. She asked the state police to stop listening to their “BJP Masters” or they would “only get egg” on their face.
The MP was referring to a case in July when 12 migrants from her constituency were allegedly picked up by the police in Chhattisgarh and detained illegally. She moved the high court in the state, and the case was withdrawn later.