Viewpoint: Let Us Discuss Mahua Moitra: The Hardest Critic Or Supported By The Media?

The Bharatiya Janata Party hasn’t let go of its underdog attitude even after two terms in office and an extraordinary majority. Even yet, when a few punches would be enough, they still want to go for the kill. As the peculiar instance of Mahua Moitra has lately shown, it may not be the best course of action.

The governing party and its supporters are being criticized by the opposition for abusing their influence in the legislature.

Even if everything followed the text, there are some theoretical issues with Moitra’s expulsion procedure. The primary concern, on the other hand, is that the parliament has granted itself the authority to look into claims of abuse of privilege and corruption without going through the legal system or even consulting judges. When the BJP was in the opposition, late BJP leader and minister Arun Jaitley had criticized this. Besides, the BJP ought to have taken a cue from the humiliation they endured when Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary membership was reinstated by the Supreme Court not too long ago.

Based on media stories, Moitra is becoming the BJP’s largest critic, hence her removal from the parliament is a pyrrhic win for them. The only party the BJP has to thank for her success is itself since she is now the face of India’s anti-capitalist, anti-establishment movement.

Despite the following, our recently created hero Mahua Moitra claims to be a manifestation of Goddess Durga.

1. Taking a short-lived, principled stand against corruption in favor of corporate catfighting
2. Made fun of almost all linguistic and ethnic groups (Jharkhandi, Gujju, etc.)
3. Disrespecting most Indians
4. Making corruption a matter of morality and ethics that is scale-related
5. Linking narcissism and feminism
6. Painting all opponents of corporate wrongdoing or the government as dubious
7. Taking voter ignorance in India to heart

Let’s go over each of these topics in more depth. A concise list of items that shouldn’t matter should come first, nevertheless.

Moitra’s behaviors include drinking, smoking, dressing a certain way, going out, having sex, and her disregard for religion, which has oddly turned completely around.

Simply put, anything on Moitra’s private life

1. Taking a short-lived, principled stand against corruption in favor of corporate catfighting

A politician who challenges the commercial practices of a large corporation ought to be commended wholeheartedly. Protecting the public against corporate avarice and ensuring an atmosphere free from corruption is what representatives of the people should be doing. But attempting to combat crony capitalism with an arsenal of industrialists backed by a network of them is corporate warfare, which is just another kind of capitalism.

The planned uranium mining in Telangana’s Nallamala forest was met with protests in September 2019 from left-wing parties and Congress. It not only endangered the lives of the backward Chenchus tribe but also the socioeconomic structure and ecological balance of the area. Because of the local people’s movement, the Indian government decided to halt the project in 2021. Revanth Reddy, the recently appointed chief minister of Telangana, was actively involved in the same and his participation is somewhat to blame for his success. When was the last time Moitra participated in a movement of people? Adani and company, her proclaimed arch-enemy, are being opposed by many.

For a number of us who have been vocal opponents of the abuses of this political system, it may seem like a witch-hunt. The issue is whether Moitra is the most vocal opponent of Adani, or whether it is a fabricated image by the media. The first incongruity is the need for a people’s movement to take on a corporate behemoth.

2. Made fun of almost all linguistic and ethnic groups (Jharkhandi, Gujju, etc.)

Being a “Bengali woman who has a life” is an identity that Moitra is passionately proud of and well aware of. But does it automatically mean that non-Bengalis are treated with contempt and snubs? With justification, Moitra has criticized the BJP’s identity politics in the strongest terms. She has also engaged in similar identity politics and parochialism, using racial epithets to disparage individuals from different regions of the nation and even journalists. “Jharkhandi pitbull” and “2 paisa press” are insults directed at someone we may not like very much; should we accept them?

3. Disrespecting most Indians

It makes no difference how many interns, personal assistants, research assistants, dog walkers, and other people Moitra hires and gives her login credentials to. But it is elitist and a duty-dereliction to claim, in the position of public representative in a nation where unemployment is skyrocketing, that the majority of Indians are unsuitable to be her clerks and assistants. If such is the case, what has she done to alter the status quo in her parliamentary seat with the assistance of the state administration loyal to her party?

4. Making corruption a matter of morality and ethics that is scale-related

Any unbiased discussion should adhere to a standard minimum agenda in a nation where instances of corruption involving hundreds of rupees may go on for decades and where thousands of crores of money have been embezzled without a single protest. The scale has little bearing on corruption; morals and ethics do. So, whether or not she took money from an industrialist is unimportant. Moitra has acknowledged that she asked Darshan Hiranandani for secretarial assistance and accepted gifts from him. Can Adani clear herself of the conflict of interest accusation, regardless of whether the assault was carried out at Hiranandani’s request or not? Remarkably, she has defended herself by using Hiranandani’s affidavit. Does she, then, unintentionally give his word credibility?

Moitra has extended an offer to the CBI to “come, count my shoes” which is, in theory, rather kind. The image of Moitra as a poster lady for social justice who will topple crony capitalism is not consistent with her sneer of elitism and her strong personal relations with businessmen.

5. Linking narcissism and feminism

It is unacceptable that Moitra has been subjected to such harsh online criticism for being a woman of her convictions. It is disgusting that she was subjected to a disparaging inquiry about her personal life by the ethics committee head. At every turn, meanwhile, Moitra has chosen to criticize herself as a legislator for sexism, even in her statement after her expulsion. That is not helpful to her cause or to the causes of other female politicians. If she had been a guy, the BJP probably would not have seen her any differently. The BJP leaders and lawmakers have been known to target males with some of their most vile and indecent insults.

Leader of the CPI (M), Brinda Karat, provides support to Moitra in her article. Supporting ‘those like us’ is compelled; is this not, at least in part, an exercise in communal narcissism? In the West Bengal assembly in 2012, TMC MLAs assaulted Deblina Hembram, a party colleague of Karat’s who was a first-time MLA. Her essay was not seen by anybody at the time. Should solidarity be distributed only based on privilege and class?

6. Painting all opponents of corporate wrongdoing or the government as dubious

With the help of flattering media reports, Moitra has successfully positioned herself to be perceived as Adani’s greatest opponent despite never having spearheaded an actual campaign. There is nothing wrong with it. However, I wish luck to each person who has devoted their life to the advancement of equality and justice for everyone. They are all under suspicion of being “funded” by different organizations. To undermine people’s freedom of movement, this government believes in tracking down “connections” and the “invisible hand,” sometimes even fabricating them. This mentality is reinforced throughout the whole Moitra episode.

7. Taking voter ignorance in India to heart

Unbelievably, the majority of Indian voters still like to perceive their representative as an improved, more powerful version of themselves. Once they are well established in the house, this is also the reason why the majority of politicians repress or ignore them. Instead of being the exception, Moitra has shown to be the norm. It would be risky to divulge her password to someone who is not a member of her team or in the nation in order for them to pursue another corporate organization or use it to promote their commercial interests. She has also begun to take the voters for granted by running with arguments like “everyone does it”.

The majority of media coverage, whether positive or negative about Moitra, has adhered to the same format: “The Lurid Love Life of Mahua Moitra.” That is unimportant. Although what she does as a woman is her business, there is a greater responsibility cost associated with her acts as a people’s representative.