‘Unimaginable subjugation and controlling of mass media today’: TMC MP Mahua Moitra in her maiden speech in Parliament

Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra tore into the government in her maiden speech yesterday. Moitra is a legislator from Krishnanagar in West Bengal and had defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kalyan Chaubey by a margin of more than 63,000 votes. She began her speech by humbly accepting the mandate in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and explained why “dissent is all the more important” today. “It is the very nature of the overwhelmingness of this mandate, of the totality of this mandate, that makes it necessary for us to be heard today, for the voice of dissent to be heard today,” she said.

Moitra, then, went on to explain why we are witnessing signs of ‘early fascism’ in India. Notable, she expanded on the role of the media. She stated that “there is an unimaginable subjugation and controlling of mass media today” and that five of the largest news media organisations are “indirectly controlled or indirectly indebted to one man in this country”. Moitra said: “TV channels spend a majority of airtime broadcasting propaganda for the ruling party…coverage of every Opposition party is cut out.”

“Let the government come out with facts and figures to show ad spend per media house…what are they spending money on and which media house are they blocking out?” she said.

You can watch the entire speech below.