She is a former investment banker and now a full-time politician. She frequently hits the headlines and was recently expelled from Parliament by an ethics committee for sharing her login credentials and password with an unauthorised person amid “cash-for-query” allegations. Mahua Moitra, who is contesting again from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat, is her own campaign manager. The Trinamool Congress leader spoke exclusively with News18 while canvassing on Saturday. The constituency will see polling on May 13, in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.
Mahua started from her Krishnagar residence at around 8.30 am, sporting sneakers, a light cotton saree, and sunglasses. She began electioneering from a jeep at Kaligunj block of Nakashipara (an assembly constituency in Krishnanagar). Going from one village to another, Mahua just kept saying to the people “Bless me” and mentioning “Lakshmir Bhandar”, West Bengal chief minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s flagship project. The scheme gives financial assistance to women from economically weaker sections of society in the age group of 25-60 years. It provides Rs 1,000 every month to women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households and Rs 500 per month to others.
Mahua spoke with News18 about her fight this time, maintaining that BJP rival “Ranima” Amrita Roy was no factor, and also about being on the radar of central investigating agencies. Edited excerpts:
Why do you manage your own election? You are a candidate and also a candidate manager?
Oh yes, I do it. That’s something I have done since my very first election. When I first contested an MLA election, before that, I was in an organisation, where I used to handle others’ elections. This really helped me. I handled a lot of elections before my first contest.
Does your corporate background help you manage elections?
Yes, it helps in logical thinking and setting up processes, but overall being in a party organisation helps. Election management is something I learnt while doing and managing others’ elections. Like the 2011 assembly polls, 2013 panchayat elections, 2014 Lok Sabha elections. I am a control freak and election is mathematics. I think everything should be in a process and that should work well. I am in a mass-based party where you automatically develop the capacity to organise things in elections. Now Abhishek (Banerjee) has put in a strong organisation very well. To set up such a system is important and to oversee such a system is important. I divided the system and this time it was long, which shouldn’t have been the case. It’s a matter of 60-65 days. Tempo can’t be lifted in the first month, we have to space it out, and it needs to be planned. This is required.
You could have been a corporate tycoon. When you get into controversy and things go bad, don’t you think that was a better life?
Not at all, not at all. I have a specific reason to come here. This is my passion and calling. We are fighting with a Fascist regime, a majoritarian force, which is dominating and destroying India, so people like us need to fight from the ground instead of doing armchair politics sitting in New York. We have to come and make a difference.
Is Mahua always angry and a tough taskmaster?
I am a tough taskmaster and am angry when I need to be. I don’t see anyone asking such questions to male politicians. I have seen ill-tempered, badly-behaved male politicians, but they don’t face such questions. Why are these questions only for women?
You do not have a godfather and people say you did it yourself. Do you find it difficult, being a woman?
In Bengal things are different, there is a gender-equal, liberal, tolerant culture. No one will look at you differently, they consider me a politician, and MP of their area. They don’t see whether I am male or female. Thank God for that. Only when I came to Delhi, I faced such patriarchy of north India and the BJP-dominated Parliament. It’s a misogynist world out there, they don’t treat women as equals. I am blessed that Bengal is a place with different thinking.
What’s your take when you are tagged as anti-national?
I feel like laughing. My voters laugh at this. 60 per cent of India that has not voted for the BJP laughs at this allegation.
You are saying to everyone, ‘Have you got Lakshmir Bhandar?’ Why?
I am just asking them whether they have got it or not because there is 90 per cent coverage in my area, I know. This is what Mamata Banerjee has done, empowering women.
What’s your take on the Sandeshkhali atrocities on women? Will that have an effect?
I think Sandeshkhali is something that is pumped up by the media. Sandeshkhali is a particular block of one Lok Sabha seat, strict measures have been taken there. See, there is no effect in any other place. You can see we are a gender-neutral state. The CM has done her utmost. Mamata Banerjee has empowered every rural woman, that’s it.
The ED and CBI are behind you. What’s your take?
The ED and CBI may be behind me but the people are in front of me.
You may have to go to jail…
I have never walked out of any challenge in my life. If that’s it, let it be. Poor officials are doing the job. I have nothing against them. They also know it’s a political case, they are very good. While the world can see, they counted my sarees, and wanted to know the price.
Your opponent is from the royal family. The PM called her. How do you see that?
It’s BJP‘s PM and he is an Election Minister, so he can call up his candidates. I have nothing personal to say. I have nothing against my opponent, everybody has the right to contest. I wish her good luck, but what I can say is that India is a democratic country. I want to ask the BJP, in Bengali, there is a saying, ‘Kon Rajar Ma?” meaning which king’s mother is she? My fight is against the BJP and its ideology, its symbol, not any candidate. Whoever is the candidate is irrelevant to me.
She is saying she is fighting against corruption and she is protecting Sanatan Dharma…
Good luck to her. I didn’t realise Hindu dharma has given a lease to Krishnanagar’s Roy family. They should first answer why they ditched the people and sold everything to Robert Clive. They have a history of treachery. It doesn’t mean anything to me.
What about corruption? Two of your former TMC ministers are in jail. Money has been found.
82 to 92 per cent cases are against the opposition by the ED and CBI. The interesting thing is that the moment they join the BJP, they are clean. So this ‘hauwa’ on corruption does not matter. There is a whitewashing machine of the BJP. One would think the BJP is all saintly and good. The moment one joins, they are clean.
They are saying they might give money back to the people from whatever has been recovered by agencies.
Why are they not paying the Rs 15 lakh that they promised? Why have they not paid the MNREGA, Awas Yojana, and other money that is due to Bengal? They should first give that money.
What about CAA?
CAA is a terrible trap for the BJP, It started the CAA ‘hawa’ in 2019, created panic and intimidation. For five years they did not do anything. Now they have notified it. The first question in that CAA form is ‘Are you Indian?’ Tell me, who will write that they are not? Then they ask for a Bangladeshi document. Where will they give the document? This will backfire.
Your party took time to stand with you when you were expelled but the Congress did. What’s your take?
It is absolutely wrong that the party did not stand by me. Abhishek came out and said that I was fighting. I am extremely proud of the TMC because it is the only party that is fighting Modi and I am proud that I got a ticket from here.
But a lot of the time, your party does not seem to be backing you…
It’s a democratic party. Everybody is free and has the right to speak their mind. It’s not some party where you have to do ‘Modiji, Modiji’. I am extremely proud of my party.
How confident are you?
You are seeing my constituency, there are organic crowds. I have done development, everybody has seen me, and I am there with them.
But what if you are in jail?
If they do such a stupid act, then my people will get angry, and my margin of victory will be doubled. I am very sure and there is a feeling of security because I have worked. I have nothing to be ashamed of because I have worked hard. It’s a question of margin.
What about INDIA?
When you yourself are contesting, then it’s difficult to know what’s happening. I am focused on my area, working here it’s difficult to keep track of what’s happening around. In Bengal, the alliance is not there but in Delhi, we are there. These forces need to be defeated. In places, INDIA is fighting together. The BJP has been dividing people on the basis of religion. People say there you have a minority vote, but does Mamata Banerjee give Lakshmir Bhandar on the basis of religion? Bengal’s culture is different.
How are you beating the heat?
The Tropic of Cancer goes through this constituency, the heat is rising. I have to beat the heat. I drink more water, that’s it.
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