December 16, 2024
Saket Gokhale’s speech on ‘Justice’ during the Special Discussion on the 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India
Sir, on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi presented 11 resolutions during his speech on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha. I call them 11 jumlas. But the problem is that Prime Minister Modi needs to be reminded of the basics. Today and tomorrow, my Party, All India Trinamool Congress, will remind Prime Minister Modi of the nine key terms in the Preamble of the Constitution of India, which his Government has completely destroyed. These are: We the People of India, Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic, Justice, Liberty and Equality. I will speak today on Justice for just three minutes because injustice has been the hallmark of the Modi Government. I want to ask: How will Prime Minister Modi defend his record on justice to the following people? The 21 lakh MGNREGA workers of Bengal have worked but haven’t been paid for three years by Modi’s Government. He has withheld Bengal’s dues. Why? Because, his Party lost the elections. Bilkis Bano, whose rapists were forgiven and released by this Government. Omar Khalid, Khalid Saifi and numerous others have spent years in jail only because they dared to criticise Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah. Sir, 750 farmers died outside the borders of Delhi, protesting for their rights against the laws which were later taken back by the Prime Minister. The people of Manipur, who today, as we speak, as I speak here, are seeing their homes being burnt and their families die every day. I have had the personal privilege of experiencing justice under this Government. I was locked up in a jail in Gujarat for 155 days in a case related to a tweet and Rs.500 money laundering case. But then, I found out what real justice means when my leader, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, sent me to this august House of Parliament, where my oppressors have to see my face every day. Madam Mamata Banerjee understands justice and is committed to it. For social justice, as the Preamble says, Ms. Mamata Banerjee brought schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree. That Lakshmir Bhandar was brought a long time ago — when it was started by Ms. Mamata Banerjee. Social justice can be brought through measures like Aparajita Bill to give justice to women who face violence, but that has not yet been passed. I do not know why the Finance Minister was so embarrassed even after our prompting, when she said, Women’s Reservation Bill hamari sarkar 1998 pe laye. I What she did not mention is that 1998 it was hon. Ms. Mamata Banerjee who had brought the Bill in 1998. Sir, our Constitution guarantees social, economic and political justice to the people. Where is social justice when minorities are subjected to atrocities every day and when the Prime Minister ran a poisonous communal campaign during the Lok Sabha elections? Where is economic justice when our youth have no jobs and families have no money left, thanks to rising prices and inflation? The hon. Finance Minister can, at least, do the least and reduce taxes on the middle class. Where is political justice when opposition leaders are threatened using CBI and ED and when the corrupt ones, who go through the BJP washing machine, become squeaky clean? The Prime Minister loves to talk about previous Governments and their record of 70 saal. I have to admit that our Prime Minister has been very successful on one front. The way he has destroyed the Constitution in 10 years, previous Governments could not do for 70 years. PM Modi does not care about justice, but the people of India do, which is why it was poetic justice when his party BJP was recently reduced to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha. People destroyed his arrogance and his party. And, from here, with my hand on the Constitution, I want to promise the Prime Minister that he will again be reminded of the meaning of justice which is in our Preamble, when his party BJP, which has deprived and defamed the people of Bengal, will be routed again in 2026 under the Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee. Thank you, Sir.
