Mahua Moitra is accustomed to being referred to as a frank and outspoken “loudmouth”—a term, she says, was often used to describe her even as a little girl. “What you see is actually a mellowed version of me,” she laughs, “I used to be a lot more blunt and upfront when I was younger.”
It is a crisp, late-winter afternoon, and Mahua, casually kitted out in sweats and a tee, welcomes the Cosmo team into her New Delhi house. The West Bengal elections have just been announced, and the TMC leader has a lot of work to do. But in the midst of the whirlwind political tour that she has been on, the 45-year-old has made a quick pit-stop in the capital, to meet the newest member of her family—her one-month-old Rottweiler baby, Henry (who, it must be added, is the most adorable ball of fluff, and soon surpasses his mum to be the star of the day!).
We settle into the perfect corner—in a glass-roofed hall with creamy-white walls, awashed with a stream of sunlight…and Henry curled up at our feet, gently gnawing on anything he can lay his teething jaw on. We are ready to unravel the many layers of the fiery member of parliament. The conversation steers from Mahua’s life in London to her journey into remote India, from finding unwavering support in sisterhood to being labelled an English-speaking by some, and more. “People tend to find me intimidating. And
