TMC MP attacks Modi govt, sees signs of 'early fascism' in India

Investment banker-turned-politician Mahua Moitra made her mark in the Trinamool Congress as a fiesty spokesperson in recent years. And in her first speech in Parliament on Tuesday, Moitra, a first-time MP, gave a glimpse of her oratory skills as she attacked the Narendra Modi government on a host of issues, declaring “all the signs of early fascism” were visible in India today.

While concluding her speech, Moitra said the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum had put up a poster in its lobby in 2017 that highlighted the seven signs of early fascism. Moitra declared all these signs could be seen in India now.

When beginning her speech on the motion of thanks for the president's speech, Moitra congratulated the Modi government on its resounding mandate. She noted, “The very nature of the mandate makes it necessary for the voice of dissent to be heard today... Had the mandate been any less, there would have been a natural check and balance woven into the narrative.”

Moitra alleged the Constitution was under threat. She accused the BJP MPs of thinking “the Sun will never set on the great Indian empire you are about to build,” and said the ruling party was "missing the signs everywhere that this country is being torn apart".

Pointing to danger signs the country was facing, Moitra referred to the “powerful and continuing nationalism that is searing through our national fabric”. She declared it was “superficial and xenophobic” amid jeers from the ruling benches. Moitra spoke about the contentious issue of the National Register of Citizens in Assam. “Citizens are being thrown out of their homes... people who have lived in this country for 50 years are being asked to show proof of citizenship in a country where ministers can't show degrees to prove that they graduated from college,” Moitra declared.

Moitra then referred to the “resounding disdain for human rights that is permeating every level of government”. Moitra alleged there was a “tenfold” increase in hate crimes between 2014 to 2019, the tenure of the first Modi government. Moitra said there were forces condoning hate crimes and referred to incidents of lynching, including the killing of Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand just days ago.

The third warning sign Moitra referred to was the “unimaginable subjugation and controlling” of mass media today. She claimed TV channels were broadcasting propaganda of the government, even as the voice of the opposition was being cut off. Moitra noted the last Lok Sabha election was “fought not on farmer distress, nor unemployment, but on WhatsApp, on manipulating minds, on fake news”.

Moitra then attacked the Modi government for its alleged “obsession” with national security. Referring to the practice of parents scaring their children with the spectre of a kala bhoot (black ghost), Moitra declared, “All of us are in fear of a nameless... kala bhoot.” Moitra alleged the achievements of the Army were being “usurped in the name of one man” even as the number of killings of soldiers and terror attacks had increased since 2014.

Moitra then spoke of two other warning signs: Religion and government becoming intertwined and there being a “complete disdain for arts and science”.

As a final warning sign, Moitra noted there was “erosion of independence in our electoral system” noting how the Election Commission was used in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Moitra also referred to the purported expenditure of Rs 60,000 crore in the recent Lok Sabha election, noting “50 per cent” of it was spent by one party (referring to the BJP). She finally asked the MPs, “Do we want to be upholders of this Constitution or do we want to be its pall bearers?”