Condemning the installation of the Sengol in Parliament, Moitra called it a “symbol of monarchy”.
NEW DELHI — Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra hit out at the BJP for expelling her in the last Lok Sabha session, saying the party “paid a very heavy price” in the general elections for throttling her voice in the House.
Speaking during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament, she accused the government’s speech writers of “embarrassing” President Droupadi Murmu with a speech that stated that the mandate was for a “stable government with a clear majority” even though the ruling party had fallen well short of the majority mark in Lok Sabha, The Indian Express reported.
Condemning the installation of the Sengol in Parliament, Moitra called it a “symbol of monarchy”. “Parliament this time saw an unprecedented scene of marshals welcoming the President with Sengol in hand. The Sengol is a symbol of the supreme authority of a monarch… The BJP has not yet understood that their 303 brute majority (in 2019 elections) has been reduced to a minority of 240 by loktantra (democracy)… This new reality is yet to sink in for the treasury benches, specially for the speech writers of the Honourable President’s address,” Moitra said.
“This is not a stable government. It depends on multiple allies with a history of U-turns. The BJP is 32 short of 272. It is going to be a very hard landing for the treasury benches, as was obvious today. There are 234 warriors this time, firmly united, and we have walked through fire to walk through these doors. So, you will not be able to shut us up this time,” she said. Referring to her expulsion from 17th Lok Sabha over “cash-for-query” allegations, she said: “The last time I got up to speak here, I was not allowed to speak. The ruling party (BJP) has paid a very heavy price for throttling the voice of one MP. Mujhe baithane ke chakkar mein janata ne aapke 63 sadasyon ko permanently baitha diya (You tried to put me down, the people put down 63 of your MPs permanently).”
The TMC MP said most members of the Ethics Committee who voted to expel her had not returned to the House this time, but the people of Krishnanagar “protected her the way Lord Krishna protected Draupadi”.
