Idioms are not for Idiots: Mahua Moitra slams FIR filed in Chhattisgarh
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has strongly criticised the FIR lodged against her in Chhattisgarh for her alleged remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying her words were taken out of context and that she was only using idiomatic expressions.
A case was registered at Raipur’s Mana police station under Sections 196 and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following a complaint by a local resident who alleged that her comments were objectionable and harmful to national unity. Moitra had reportedly said that Shah’s “head should be cut off and placed on the table” if he failed to stop illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Moitra clarified that her remark was not literal and were idiomatic expressions. In her post, she wrote, “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 the last fake case you filed & withdrew with your tail between your legs. Stop listening to BJP Masters—you will only get egg on your face.”
She referred to the BJP’s 2024 election slogan ‘Abki Baar, 400 Paar’, which, she said, “fell flat on its face” after the party managed only around 240 seats. “Foreign media reported that the results were a slap on the face for the Prime Minister. Did anyone really slap him? No. Everyone also said, ‘heads will roll.’ Did heads literally roll? No. These are idioms, metaphors for accountability,” she explained.
Moitra went on to detail her use of expressions. “In English, when we say ‘heads will roll,’ it comes from the time when kings used to cut off the heads of disobedient subjects. A beheaded head can only roll. But it does not mean anyone is actually cutting heads off, it means accountability. Similarly, in Bengali we say matha kata jawa or lojjay matha kata jawa, meaning you are so ashamed that you ‘lose your head.’ Again, it is a figure of speech, not a call for violence,” she said.
She accused the Chhattisgarh police of misrepresenting her words. “The FIR says ‘Mahua Moitra ne kaha gala kaat diya.’ What I said was matha kete table-e, which is very different. This is what happens when you use Google Translate from Bengali to English and then to Hindi to file fake cases,” she remarked.
Moitra also recalled an incident in July in Kondagaon district, where she alleged that Superintendent of Police Y. Akshay Kumar had illegally detained 12 migrant Bengali workers from her constituency. According to her, they were picked up on July 12, falsely booked under Section 128, beaten, and not produced before a court. They were released only on July 14.
“I went to the Chhattisgarh High Court, which issued a notice. After that, the Kondagaon SP had to withdraw the FIR against the workers with his tail between his legs, another idiom. The same pattern is being repeated with me now,” she said.
The Krishnanagar MP also questioned how her remarks could be linked to national integration. “How is asking the Home Minister to take responsibility prejudicial to national integration? Every time you file these fake FIRs, it politically helps me more than it hurts,” she said.
Moitra argued that such actions only strengthened her position. “You expelled me from Parliament, and I came back. Every time you try to fight me, I end up stronger. You make a heroine out of me, like Joan of Arc,” she said in the video.
She also criticised the repeated cases being filed against her. “Take your FIRs and keep them where the sun doesn’t shine. Hopefully, better sense will prevail soon,” she said.
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
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
ALSO READ: Mexico's Congress approves higher tariffs on goods from India, China and non-FTA nations
Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
