New Delhi | First time MP Mahua Moitra, in her maiden speech at the Lok Sabha, warned the country that the new government is showing all the signs of Fascism.
Moitra, previously an investment banker, referred to a poster in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum containing a list of all the signs of early fascism. “Each of the seven signs I have pointed to you featured in that poster,” she said as several Opposition members and at least one BJP ally thumped their desks in the House.
Mahuna Moitra said while she “humbly accepted” the mandate the BJP got, its very size made it essential that the voices of dissent be heard.
Moitra further went on to explain seven points.
“There is a powerful and continuing nationalism that is being speared into our national fabric. It is superficial, it is xenophobic, it is narrow. It has a lust to divide. It is not a desire to unite. Citizens are being thrown out of their homes and are being called illegal immigrants. People who have lived in this country for 50 years have to show a piece of paper to prove they are Indians. In a country where ministers cannot produce degrees to show that they graduated from college, you expect dispossessed poor people to show papers as proof that they belong to this country?”, she said.
She talked about the growing hate crime.
“There has been a ten-fold increase in the number of hate crimes between 2014 and 2019. 10X. This is like the valuation of an e-commerce start-up, Sir”, said.
She pointed out that at least five of India’s media organisation are directly or indirectly under one man in the country.
“There is an unimaginable subjugation and control of mass media today. Five of the largest news media organisations in India are today either indirectly controlled or indirectly debted to one man in this country. TV channels spent a majority of airtime broadcasting propaganda for the ruling party. Coverage of every Opposition party is cut out”, Mahuna Moitra said.
As a fourth sign, she hit out at the Modi govt for propagating national security, “There is an obsession with national security — identification of enemies. When we were children our mother used to tell us to do this and do that or kala bhoot will come. It is as though all of us in this country today are in fear of some nameless, shameless kala bhoot. There is fear of pervading everywhere. The achievements of the army are being usurped in the name of one man. Is this correct?”.
She also mentioned BJP’s pet project, the NRC implementation in Assam. “With the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Bill, we are making sure that there is only one community that is the target of anti-immigration laws”, she said.
“Everything we are doing is pushing India back to the dark ages”, Mahuna Moitra warned.
“The Election Commission was used to transfer key officials. Rs 60,000 crore was spent in this election; 50 per cent by one party, Rs 27,000 crore”, she said, referred to the Election Commission’s transfer of officers in Bengal that had hugely upset Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
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