Mahua Moitra interview: ‘My message is crystal clear — this is an election to save the very essence of India’

You have single-handedly taken the fight against the Central government. You had filed three petitions in the Supreme Court against the Modi government’s surveillance bid on social media. How has your fight been so far?

I have always followed my heart and what I believe to be right. I have filed these (petitions) in my capacity as a private citizen, simply because I believe that the central government is turning India into an Orwellian state, where personal freedom and liberties are irrelevant in the face of some larger devious masterplan that the Centre wishes to execute.

What are the central government’s moves that you think have hurt people the most in the last five years?

Where do I even start… the big dhamaka demonetisation, a poorly executed GST, reduced budgetary allocation for welfare programmes, high levels of unemployment and frankly, no roadmap for recovery on any front.

What are the key issues that will feature in your campaigns?

My message is crystal clear — this is an election to save the very essence of India, its Constitution, its institutions and the tolerant principles on which it was founded. This Centre has failed spectacularly on all three main parameters, on which any incumbent government is judged — national security, economic betterment and communal harmony.

Very often than not you have been subjected to personal attacks by BJP leaders even during talk shows on news channels? How do you fight such things?

I don’t. I simply don’t bother about it. To quote from the Bible, Luke 23:34: “Father Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

As a woman politician do you think it is a bit more challenging to fight against the BJP-led NDA government, especially after such personal attacks?

I view myself as a politician. My ability to take on the BJP depends on my mettle, not my gender.

Do you feel that this United India alliance has the potential to defeat the Narendra Modi-government?

Yes. In whatever shape or form the alliance may take, it does represent an overwhelming groundswell of support against this government.

Are you worried of the BJP’s rise in Bengal?

Rise in Bengal! It is a self-propagated delusion that only the intellectual leaders in the saffron camp suffer from.

How do you want to tackle the TMC infighting in your constituency?

This is a Lok Sabha election, not a panchayat poll. Minor squabbles for local interests don’t really raise their head during this time. Every single worker rallies behind Mamata Banerjee during the Lok Sabha elections, putting aside local differences.

What is your view on the instant triple talaq bill?

The moot issue is abandonment of married women irrespective of religion. Legislation should address this concern.

What will be your key job in Parliament if elected to the lower house?

The basic duty of any parliamentarian is to improve the condition of his/her constituents and to debate and pass legislation that takes India forward, not push it back to the medieval age, the way the current government has done.

How confident are you to win from your Lok Sabha seat this time?

One hundred per cent. The issue for me is whether or not I can break the record for the TMC’s previous margin of victory for this seat.