Creative freedom is tradition but religious sentiments must not be hurt: RSS on Kaali row
India Today
Wading into the row over the “smoking Kali” poster, the RSS said no one should hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.
The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) on Saturday spoke up on the controversy over a movie poster that depicts Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette.
Addressing the media during the ongoing three-day Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharaks meet in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, the right-wing outfit said that no one should hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.
"Creative freedom has been a tradition in India. But no one should hurt anyone's religious sentiments. Everyone should be careful about that,” Sunil Ambekar, Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS, said.
The remarks came against the backdrop of a blazing row over filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s documentary film ‘Kaali’, whose poster shows the Hindu goddess smoking, while holding the LGBTQ+ community’s pride flag in hand. Multiple FIRs have been filed against Manimekalai for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
The controversy was fuelled further when Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, while responding to a question about the contentious poster, said she has every right as "an individual to imagine Goddess Kali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess". Now Moitra is also facing several police complaints for her controversial statement.
ON UDAIPUR BEHEADING
The RSS also spoke against the beheading of a tailor in Hindu, saying that there is anger among Hindus over the ghastly murder and also exhorted Muslims to speak up against it as well.
