Mahua Moitra, the newly-elected Trinamool MP gave a fiery speech in the parliament that has caught the Internet’s imagination. Moitra listed out in detail why India is slipping into a fascist rule
1) On Nationalism
Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, She said, “There is a powerful and continuing nationalism that is searing into our national fabric.”
“Citizen are being thrown out of their home and being called illegal immigrants. People who have lived in this country for 50 years have to show papers to prove they are Indians. In a country where the ministers cannot produce degrees to show they graduated from college, you expect dispossessed poor people to show papers, to show they belong to this country?” she added.
2) On Human Rights
She also pointed out the significant rise in no. of hate crimes under the current regime. “There has been a ten-fold increase in the number of hate crimes between 2014 and 2019. It is like a valuation of an e-commerce startup. There are forces in this country that are sitting there just pushing this number up. The lynching of citizens in broad daylight is being condoned. From Pehlu Khan in Rajasthan last year to Mr Ansari in Jharkhand yesterday. The list is not stopping,” she said in her maiden speech.
3) On Mass Media
She also alleged that the media has been subjugated under the Modi government.
“Five of the largest news media organisations in India are today either indirectly controlled indirectly debted to one man in this country. TV channels spend a majority of air time broadcasting propaganda for the ruling party. Coverage of every opposition party is cut out. Let the government come out with facts and figures to show ad expenses per media house. What are they spending money on and which media houses are they blocking out,” she told the parliament.
“Fake news is the norm. This election was not fought on farmer distress, this election was not fought on unemployment. This election was fought on WhatsApp, on fake news,on manipulating minds. Every piece of news that you put out, Every lie that you put out, you repeat and repeat till it became truth. This is the Goebbels doctrine,” she added.
4) On National Security
Moitra also took exception to Modi government’s obsession with national security at the identification of enemies. “When we were children my mother would say– do this, do that or else an evil ghost will come. It’s as if all of us in this country are in fear of some nameless, shameless ‘Kala Bhoot’. The achievements of this army are being usurped in the name of one man. Is this correct? The irony is that over the last five years, terrorist attacks have gone up manifold.There has been a 106% increase in the death of jawans in Kashmir,” she said.
5) On Religion & The Govt
She also tore into what she called selective targetting of a particular community in the name of NRC and the Citizenship (amendment) Bill.
“With the NRC and the Citizenship (amendment) Bill, we are making sure there is only one community that is the target of anti-immigration laws. Members of parliament today are more interested in the fate of 2.77 acres of land than 812 million acres of the rest of India. This is not only about winning 2.77 acres of the janmbhoomi, the question is about keeping the rest united,” she said.
6) On Dissent
Moitra also slammed government’s ‘disdain for intellectuals and the arts”.
“There is a complete disdain for intellectuals and the arts. There is suppression of dissent. Everything we are doing is pushing India back to the dark ages. Secondary school textbooks are being manipulated and distorted to indoctrinate. You don’t even tolerate questioning, let alone dissent, she said.
7) On The Electoral System
Questioning the independence of electoral system under the current regime , she said, “The Election Commission is being used to transfer key officials. Out of 60,000 crores spent in the elections, 50% was spent by one party: 27,000 crores. In 2017, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum put up a poster in its main lobby and it contained the list of all the signs of early fascism. Each of the seven signs that I have pointed to you feature on that poster.”
