December 17, 2024
Sushmita Dev’s speech on ‘Equality’, as mentioned in the Preamble, during the Special Discussion on the 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India
Sir, I think the shortest way to show our allegiance to the Constitution is our oath of allegiance, and we need not say furthermore. But, as a participant in this important debate, I wish to make a few points. We all must accept that the Constitution is a document of consensus which emanated from fearless and fierce debates. Different people had different opinions inside the Assembly and outside the Assembly and yet what we got is a Constitution which we all accept today. There is a stark contrast to what is happening inside Parliament and outside Parliament. We have all spoken about Dr. Ambedkar. And, I think, with Dr. Ambedkar in our hearts, we must remember his undelivered but published speech–‘The Annihilation of Caste’. He was a champion of removing inequalities and, therefore, I speak about right to equality in this country which is not an idea but it is a right, a right that every Government must guarantee. So, let us look at economic inequalities. Today, in India, 1 per cent of the country is controlling about 40 per cent of the wealth! Is that the kind of equality that our forefathers wanted? Sir, today, corporate loans are waived! But, farmers are struggling and reeling under the burden of loans. Today, the middle class is the worst impacted by tax burden, but we see that the taxation on corporates keep reducing because of the policies of this Government. Highly qualified students don’t compete for jobs. Today, they have to compete in stampedes. Now, let us come to the two most destructive policies of this Government which destroyed the informal economy. The first one is demonetization and the unplanned lockdown. We have seen what had happened between the haves and have-nots. There was a stark difference between them. Sir, next is social inequality. सर, यहां इतने लोगों ने भाषण दिया, लेकिन बीजेपी के एक भी सांसद ने मणिपुर पर नहीं बोला, एक भी सांसद ने नहीं बोला।Today, I say, while we are debating on the Constitution, which constitutional rights have you not suspended in Manipur? Liberty, Expression, Speech and everything has been suspended in Manipur.I stand here, as a Member of Parliament representing the North East, demanding the resignation of every MP from the North East and every Minister who is thumping their desk behind the Leader of the House.Today, while the Constituent Assembly debates are discussed, we, the citizens, are demanding to have equal debates. In Assam, the BJP is creating different classes of citizens with different rights. The NRC has become No Respite for Citizens. There is no equality in the way the NRC has been conducted. With these few words, I end my speech by saying that this is a Government which wants one election, one leader, one religion, because this is not what Ambedkarji wanted for this country. This is a fascist Government that is at play.
