Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal Mahua Moitra on Tuesday, July 5 took a dig at PM Modi’s “56 inches” statement of 2014. He said that to become a strong leader, 56-inch chest is not required and beats it daily.
Moitra was speaking 5th edition of India Today Conclave East Which started on 4th July, Monday in Kolkata.
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Speaking at a session titled ‘Democratic Discourse: Power Reset: The New Structure of Indian Federalism’, Moitra said: “Naveen Patnaik is a strong leader, Mamata Banerjee is a strong leader. You don’t have a 56-inch chest and a To be a strong leader is to beat it every day.” She was responding to a question about the possible leaders who can lead a united front.
PM Modi made the “56-inch chest” remark at a rally in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2014 elections. Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, had said that UP needs a “56-inch chest” to develop at par with Gujarat.
Speaking about the need for a united opposition, he said, “Mamata Banerjee was the first person who said ‘I am not interested in being the leader of a pack’. Let’s discuss the issues and take on the BJP. .
Moitra also jumped into the ‘Smoking Kali’ poster controversy, saying: “Religion should remain within the personal realm and as long as I’m not interfering in your space, I should be allowed to.”
Accusing the BJP of misusing its power at the Centre, he said: “Ambedkar said the draft of the Constitution is for both unitary and federal. We had a flexible framework from day one. Ambedkar also said that it is surprising how unitary our structure can be. So, when people come to power at the centre, they use these flexible forces to transcend boundaries and that’s when the problems begin. ,
Citing an example of the equation between the YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh and the BJP at the Centre, he said economic, administrative and political federalism can coexist peacefully. “But the first blow to federalism came in 2014 when the Planning Commission was abolished after 65 years. It was concerned with the distribution of grants on the basis of consent with the states. Now, NITI Aayog comes and the grant is based on its discretion,” said Moitra.
He said that the financial performance of the Center in the last three years was very poor and to make up for it, it is now draining the states. “They increased the cess, they are not paying the states’ share of GST on time. PM Modi has not called a single meeting of the National Development Council in the last eight years. These pillars of federalism have been broken,” he said. The Bengal MP said.
Besides Mahua Moitra, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and actor Rajkumar Rao are among the prominent personalities who will attend the conference on the second day.
The two-day conference aims to highlight a wide range of issues on a wide range of topics including leadership, political showdowns, multi-partisanship, the Indian economy and facts about India’s East.
From politics to business and cinema, the Conclave covers all aspects of the Eastern Revival, making it an indispensable event in the region’s power calendar.
Click here for complete coverage of India Today Conclave East 2022.