- 6 months ago
Mohua Moitra in an exclusive podcast with India Today has referred to party colleague and fellow parliamentarian Kalyan Banerjee as a 'pig' and said that she won't get into a fight with him.
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00:00:00Well, she's feisty, fearless, intelligent, unapologetic.
00:00:17The cliches that have been often associated with Mahua Moitra.
00:00:24Is there more to the Lok Sabha MP from the TMC?
00:00:29Let's find out.
00:00:33Welcome to UnPolitics, Ms. Moitra.
00:00:39Nobody wants it if the CBI turns up at your parents' house.
00:00:42Nobody likes it and I obviously felt very guilty for putting my parents through that.
00:00:47What's the bag that you're carrying to Parliament nowadays?
00:00:50I've only got one bag which I carry.
00:00:51The one which was all over the place.
00:00:53Which is all over, which I've had and which I carry all the time.
00:00:55Pankaj Tripathi is your crush?
00:00:57Yes, he is. I think he's the coolest actor.
00:00:59I love him. I love the mean bad roles he does.
00:01:01I loved him in Merzapur. He was in Gangs of Wasipur.
00:01:03After the wedding, the workers came and they said,
00:01:07Didi, second innings, not out.
00:01:09So Kalyan Banerjee, and it's not the first time he's gone after you.
00:01:13He has gone after you repeatedly.
00:01:15You don't wrestle with the pig because the pig likes it and you get dirty.
00:01:19What's on Mahua Moitra's to-do list?
00:01:21The larger picture is be part of the movement that gets this government out of power.
00:01:34Ms. Moitra, welcome to UnPolitics.
00:01:36Please call me Mahua, Preeti, please.
00:01:38Mahua, welcome to UnPolitics.
00:01:40And, you know, I can get into long winding introductions for you.
00:01:44But, you know, that's what the format of the show is.
00:01:46We always allow our guests to introduce themselves to our audience.
00:01:51I'm Mahua Moitra.
00:01:53I'm a second-time member of parliament from the Krishnagar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
00:02:01And before that, I used to be an MLA in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the border constituency of Karimpur, which is where I still live and which is very close to my heart.
00:02:12And way before that, another lifetime, I was a banker with JP Morgan in New York and then in London.
00:02:20And I graduated in economics and mathematics from a liberal arts college in Massachusetts.
00:02:26Wow.
00:02:27All right.
00:02:28You know, so congratulations are in order, but we're going to hopefully talk about that later.
00:02:31Okay.
00:02:32But, Mahua, you know, let's talk about your journey from Assam to Mount Holyoke, then JP Morgan, then back to India and then to the parliament.
00:02:43Preeti, it's been an eventful, fun ride.
00:02:49And I guess I'm living proof, and I don't know how interested your viewers are going to be in this because I've said this many times before, but I'll repeat it again, is that I think I'm living proof that if you set your mind to anything, it can be done.
00:03:05So if you had asked me 15 years ago, when I had no political lineage and I was a banker, taking the tube back from Mansion House Station to South Kensington and wait stopping at Waitrose and buying what I was going to eat for dinner and coming home and making dinner.
00:03:21And I was going to be an MP in parliament 15 years hence.
00:03:24So where did that moment of epiphany come from?
00:03:26That this was your calling?
00:03:28That's one thing I've always known.
00:03:30Like I always knew I'd come back to India and I always knew public life was my calling.
00:03:34I knew that I found a letter from me to my parents in when I was in freshman year in Mount Holyoke.
00:03:40So that was what 1994.
00:03:42And way back then I said, I'm going to go out and I'm going to work for a bit.
00:03:47And then I'll come back to India and I'm going to enter politics.
00:03:49I was what, 18 years old, 20, 19 years old at that time.
00:03:52So I knew I was going to do it.
00:03:53I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I knew I was going to do it.
00:03:56So I've always had that dream.
00:03:58And I guess if you can dream it, you can do it.
00:04:00What was your life like as a child?
00:04:02Did you come from privilege?
00:04:04I mean, we came from an upper middle class, comfortable family.
00:04:07Assam.
00:04:08And in Assam.
00:04:09I mean, we, my father was in T.
00:04:10So it was, yeah, it's a good life.
00:04:12It's a fun, good life.
00:04:13And, um, I was one of two, uh, two sisters and, uh, we had a fun life.
00:04:18My mother was very high.
00:04:19She was very hands on in some ways and very kind of let the kids be and be what they want
00:04:24to be in some ways.
00:04:26So it was good.
00:04:27And, uh, my father never really interfered.
00:04:29My parents were both quite hands off parents.
00:04:31They were not like the parents of today.
00:04:33I don't even think my father knew what class I was in when I was in class 10.
00:04:36No, literally.
00:04:37I literally don't even think.
00:04:38I remember.
00:04:39So who was a bigger influence?
00:04:40Your mom or your dad?
00:04:41Yeah.
00:04:42They both are in different ways, but I have to say my mom in terms of perseverance, in
00:04:45terms of tenacity, in terms of like, you got to do it.
00:04:48You got to do what you got to do.
00:04:49Definitely.
00:04:50Yeah.
00:04:51So how does she look at it right now?
00:04:52Because you're in the news quite often.
00:04:53And sometimes, uh, for a parent, it could get a little intimidated.
00:04:56Yeah.
00:04:57No, my, I, my mother, I mean, my mother, I don't think really watches a lot of TV.
00:05:00She's on her iPad.
00:05:01So she sees a lot of stuff, but she's got her own life.
00:05:04She plays a bridge.
00:05:05She's, I don't think none of my parents have really been that involved.
00:05:08And one great thing about them is that my mom, especially, she doesn't live through
00:05:12her children.
00:05:13She's got her own life.
00:05:14She's happy we're there.
00:05:15She's happy if you're doing well.
00:05:16She's happy if you're not stressed out.
00:05:17But beyond that, there are some parents.
00:05:19But you push boundaries.
00:05:20Yeah.
00:05:21Push boundaries.
00:05:22I mean, she's okay.
00:05:23And you continue to do.
00:05:24Yeah.
00:05:25But she's okay.
00:05:26And my mom, funnily enough, is probably even more rabidly anti BJP than I am, if that's
00:05:30possible.
00:05:31So when I do something, there are times she'd say, why didn't you do a little bit more?
00:05:33You know, you could have said this, you could have said that.
00:05:36When the whole parliament saga was going on, did she ever feel, you know, a little bit,
00:05:40because it was a bit much for a parent to see their child go through what you were going
00:05:44through.
00:05:45She was really mad.
00:05:46And she was like, you got to go show them.
00:05:47You got to go show them.
00:05:48She couldn't wait for the day of comeuppance.
00:05:50Well, show them you did.
00:05:51Yeah.
00:05:52So yeah.
00:05:53Yeah.
00:05:54So she was, she was very, in fact, like I said, you know, when most, most children want
00:05:57to, I too, like a child, as any child would want to protect my parents.
00:06:01Yeah.
00:06:02So nobody wants it.
00:06:03If the CBI turned up at your parents' house, nobody likes it.
00:06:05And, you know, I obviously felt very guilty for putting my parents through that.
00:06:10But, I mean, mother was miraculous.
00:06:12She was just like, you know, we have nothing.
00:06:14When somebody, they, I believe the CBI officer asked her the price of some furniture.
00:06:19He says, when did you get this?
00:06:20You know, what, what is the value of the furniture in our house?
00:06:23And she said, well, I got it made in Assam 40 years ago from the teak that we had.
00:06:28So, if I'd known you were going to ask me this 40 years ago, I would have written it
00:06:31down.
00:06:32But sadly, I didn't.
00:06:33So she's quite bindas about that.
00:06:36So they were fine.
00:06:37I have to say, you know, they've never really been a cause of stress that way to me.
00:06:41Mahwat, tell me, so coming back after you won again, after being thrown out of parliament,
00:06:46what was the first day like?
00:06:48Was there a sense of redemption, retribution?
00:06:53It was strangely calm.
00:06:54It was strangely calm.
00:06:55You know, Priti, there are situations in my head when it was happening, you go through
00:06:59what you think it'll be.
00:07:00So I kept running situations through my mind.
00:07:02But actually, when it happened, it was complete calm because I knew I would win.
00:07:06I knew the whole thing was a lie as I know it today.
00:07:09You know, I'm sure the CBI will come up with a Mickey Mouse judge sheet.
00:07:12It's not over yet, by the way.
00:07:13I know that.
00:07:14So the CBI could well come up with a complete Mickey Mouse judge sheet.
00:07:17And, you know, that could well happen.
00:07:19Over a lipstick?
00:07:20They could.
00:07:21But that's the country we live in.
00:07:22I know.
00:07:23And Bobbi Brown stopped making that lipstick.
00:07:25Think about it.
00:07:26I think Bobbi Brown was so upset at all the infamy this particular shade had got.
00:07:30They were like, they probably stopped making, I can't even use that lipstick anymore.
00:07:34With all that's gone down in your life, you know, are you the one that lives by the saying
00:07:41no regrets?
00:07:42Or, for example, do you regret flicking the middle finger on primetime debate?
00:07:47Oh, my God.
00:07:48Not at all.
00:07:49Like I said, it's one of the things that I didn't actually do that.
00:07:52You know, I've said this before.
00:07:53I didn't actually do that.
00:07:54I was wearing a new ring and I was trying to adjust it.
00:07:57And I always do one, two, three like that.
00:08:00And I didn't even realize it had happened.
00:08:02I don't think anybody did.
00:08:03It was probably a full 12 hours or 14 hours where somebody screenshotted.
00:08:08This was way back in 2015, you know, when YouTube wasn't as prevalent as it is now.
00:08:14I think someone screenshotted it and said, well done.
00:08:17And then someone picked it up and they asked me.
00:08:19And my first reaction was, I didn't do that because I don't do that.
00:08:24And then everyone was like, oh, wow.
00:08:26You know, good for you.
00:08:27You did that.
00:08:28So I said, yeah, great.
00:08:29I own the space.
00:08:30So it's one of those legends that actually wasn't a legend, but turned out to be a legend.
00:08:33And you don't regret it.
00:08:34I don't.
00:08:35Would you do it again?
00:08:36I didn't.
00:08:37I didn't do it the first time.
00:08:38I didn't do it the first time.
00:08:39But would you do it?
00:08:40But I've never been on it.
00:08:41It's not a channel.
00:08:42It's just a, you know, rabbit, dog whistling show.
00:08:44I've never been on it again.
00:08:46I don't go on the channel, so.
00:08:48Are you somebody who possibly regrets?
00:08:50Maybe you would have been a little understated, underplay yourself.
00:08:54You know, like things would have turned out different.
00:08:56Are there any regrets?
00:08:57How do you underplay yourself?
00:08:58I'm asking.
00:08:59I don't even know what it is to underplay yourself.
00:09:01What is it?
00:09:02I, when, how do you underplay yourself?
00:09:04I am who I am.
00:09:06I'm an educated woman with a brain who has been elected in out of, I'm one of 78,
00:09:13now 74 women in a country of 140 crore people who have been elected to serve in the Parliament
00:09:20of India.
00:09:21It is my greatest privilege.
00:09:22So no regrets?
00:09:23To do that.
00:09:24No.
00:09:25Of anything you handle, whatever you've said, you do it all over again.
00:09:27Of course not.
00:09:28Have you ever seen me apologizing for anything?
00:09:30No, I'm asking.
00:09:31Not at all.
00:09:32Not at all.
00:09:33Tell me something in the Parliament because there's, first tell me something because there's,
00:09:38there's so many pictures that we have of you sitting in the canteen with the other women.
00:09:43There was this latest video of all of you banding together celebrating somebody's birthday.
00:09:47Have you made allies across party lines?
00:09:50Women, because it seems that you have.
00:09:51We're all friends, but you have to understand one thing.
00:09:53We're, I've got many, I've got many friends in Parliament and the women come together.
00:09:57But the funny thing about the BJP, now in the India block, everyone's a friend.
00:10:01And even within the BJP, there are friends.
00:10:03Who do you hang with most?
00:10:04I would hang with probably most of the BJP women.
00:10:07Of course I would.
00:10:08And I do.
00:10:09But that's not the point.
00:10:10You have to understand when the party whip comes.
00:10:12None of these women have either the space or the courage to defy the party whip and to
00:10:17stand up for womanhood.
00:10:18They will not.
00:10:19Even when what happened with me, a lot of them came to me in private and they said, you
00:10:23know, we feel terrible about this, but none of them would defy the party whip to come
00:10:28out and openly say anything.
00:10:30That's the tragedy of the party whip system.
00:10:33And that's the tragedy of a party like the BJP that doesn't let people be themselves.
00:10:37Who are your allies in terms of women from the India block?
00:10:40I'm sure it's about having a cup of tea.
00:10:41It's about sharing a laugh.
00:10:42I mean, literally most people.
00:10:44Probably there's probably...
00:10:45Who are your friends?
00:10:47Everyone's, I mean, everyone's a friend.
00:10:49You have to understand these are, this is a very small club for lack of a better word.
00:10:54Right.
00:10:55Because we've all had individual stories to come here, but there are only 74 of us.
00:11:00You have to understand.
00:11:01There are 74 of us.
00:11:02And we've all had, some of us may be more privileged than others where somebody's father
00:11:06could have been a chief minister.
00:11:07Somebody's father could have been a great leader.
00:11:09Somebody's husband is a leader.
00:11:10So in some ways it might have been easier than probably mine with no political lineage,
00:11:15but in other ways they've had other challenges.
00:11:17So everyone's had their own story and their own.
00:11:20So in that way, we are very aware of how great the responsibility is on all our shoulders
00:11:26and everyone's looking at us.
00:11:27And we're vulnerable and yet we're strong and we like to hang.
00:11:32And when we're together, you'll be surprised.
00:11:34You'll probably think we're talking about, but you know, we're at the end of the day girls
00:11:40and we sit and talk about lipstick and sarees and all the good stuff as well.
00:11:44We like to hang and talk about cake with orange and the recipe for X or Y.
00:11:49So it's no different from a conversation you would be having with your friends.
00:11:52What's the bag that you're carrying to Parliament nowadays?
00:11:54I've only got one bag which I carry.
00:11:56The one which was all over the place.
00:11:57Which is all over, which I've had and which I carry all the time.
00:12:00I'm not a person who changes bags because there's so much stuff in it that I could never change a bag.
00:12:05Most of us do.
00:12:06Absolutely.
00:12:07So I don't do that.
00:12:08So it's that one bag that I use most often.
00:12:10I've got a smaller one that I use once in a while, but otherwise it's the same bag.
00:12:13Why do you think they caught on to your bag?
00:12:14Because if you look at it, there are a lot of bags in Parliament.
00:12:17But like I said, like I said, that it's the troll army of the BJP who have literally nothing to do.
00:12:24So their job is wake up in the morning and decide what meaningless issue you're going to go after.
00:12:29But what is it?
00:12:30What is it that gets under the skin where Mahua Moitra is concerned?
00:12:34Well, you know what?
00:12:35Because I can sit here and tell them they're a bunch of useless losers.
00:12:38And there are very few elected women who've done something with their life who actually tell them that.
00:12:43No one tells them that.
00:12:44India is a misogynist, patriarchal, sexually frustrated society when it comes to men.
00:12:51You know it?
00:12:52I know it.
00:12:53You agree?
00:12:54I agree.
00:12:55Now, they've got their representation everywhere else.
00:12:56If out of India there are men like this everywhere, then what's to say there won't be in Parliament and there won't be in government and there won't be in every political party?
00:13:03So, like I said, there are a section, there's a very large section of India that is deeply misogynistic, that is deeply patriarchal, that is deeply sexually frustrated.
00:13:12And they can't stand to see women in positions of any kind of power.
00:13:18I mean, we are, I'm nothing.
00:13:20I'm a little ant in the picture.
00:13:22If you see what Mamata Banerjee, my chief minister said to go through, you see what Mrs. Gandhi said to go through.
00:13:27I mean, just go back in history and see the kinds of attacks they've had to put through.
00:13:30What we've had to go through is nothing.
00:13:32When you're getting into the TMC, wanting to, you know, join the party.
00:13:35Is it true it was all about a meeting that happened on a flight?
00:13:38Yeah, I did meet India on a flight.
00:13:39Really?
00:13:40That's correct.
00:13:41That's correct.
00:13:42I did meet her on a flight.
00:13:43I was in the Youth Congress.
00:13:44And I did meet her on a flight.
00:13:45And I sat next to her.
00:13:46And, you know, Mamata, when you meet her for 2009, I think, nine or 10, I forget.
00:13:51And she's completely disarming.
00:13:53And she disarmed me and she was so unlike my idea of what I thought she would be like.
00:13:59But she wasn't chief minister then.
00:14:01Our party was not in power.
00:14:02Remember, this was before I met her and I was charmed.
00:14:05And that was it.
00:14:06And yeah, that was a chance meeting.
00:14:09What's it like?
00:14:10Do you have an anecdote to share with us about Mamata Banerjee?
00:14:13I mean, there are so many, but I have to say, you know, it's very difficult to think of
00:14:20Didi or think of Mamata Di as everyone has got an individual bond with her.
00:14:26So everyone's got a strong bond with her.
00:14:28So you feel like she's yours.
00:14:29In many ways, she's a friend.
00:14:31In many ways, she's almost like a mother where you feel like, oh, she's all mine.
00:14:34And then you realize she's not all yours.
00:14:35Of course, she belongs to everyone else.
00:14:37But she's a person who can.
00:14:40I've had so many disagreements with her, but I've.
00:14:44Tell us about one.
00:14:45I've got.
00:14:46What was the biggest one?
00:14:47No, no, not like that.
00:14:48Is she okay to disagree with?
00:14:49Because she looks very stern.
00:14:50That's the beauty about her.
00:14:52She has a heart.
00:14:53Every time we interview her, she's going to bite her head off if you're going to ask her something.
00:14:56No, she doesn't.
00:14:57That's the beauty about her.
00:14:58You can disagree with her and live to tell the tale and it's fine.
00:15:01Have you disagreed?
00:15:02And you can disagree with her.
00:15:03Have you disagreed?
00:15:04I've literally thrown tantrums where I'm like, you know, this is not fair.
00:15:07This is not fair.
00:15:08And, you know, she's got angry and I've got angry and then it doesn't matter.
00:15:10It's like it's with your mother.
00:15:11So I think she is such an amazing person and she's so sure of who she is.
00:15:16And her fight is so much larger.
00:15:18And her heart is so large.
00:15:19She carries us all along.
00:15:20I'm not the typical what you would.
00:15:22A lot of people come and say, what are you doing in the DMC?
00:15:24I said, I belong in the DMC.
00:15:25I couldn't be in any other party because she lets us all breathe and be who we are.
00:15:30It wasn't easy for you because what were you called?
00:15:33Meem sahab?
00:15:34People are still called a Meem sahab and I'm proud to be one.
00:15:36I've never tried to be anything else.
00:15:37What is a Meem sahab?
00:15:38I don't even know.
00:15:39But in tea gardens a Meem sahab, a manager's wife is called a Meem sahab.
00:15:42So that's what my idea of a Meem sahab was.
00:15:45Right.
00:15:46So I guess anyone who has Western sensibilities in India is traditionally called a Meem sahab.
00:15:50It came from the DMC.
00:15:51Okay.
00:15:52Other than, you know, Mamata Banerjee and the likes, has the party accepted you?
00:15:55The CADA?
00:15:56Certainly there is.
00:15:57Well, I won.
00:15:58Certainly my CADA has accepted me.
00:16:00Because I won what is traditionally quite a difficult seat.
00:16:03So I love my people.
00:16:05I love my CADA.
00:16:06I have very strong emotional bond to my constituency.
00:16:09So I don't think there's ever been a problem.
00:16:11But like I said, the TMC, like any other party has its share of misogynistic, patriarchal men
00:16:16who probably don't like.
00:16:17I mean, there are many people who, if you see the history of the Congress, the erstwhile
00:16:21Congress in Bengal through which Mamata Dili came through the ranks, there are many who
00:16:25called her names and said so many nasty things about her.
00:16:28Her struggle was not easy, but she fought it and she's, you know, three times going to become
00:16:32a fourth time chief minister today.
00:16:34Taking off from there, how is the fight for having a mishti shop in Parliament coming
00:16:38along?
00:16:39That wasn't my fight.
00:16:40That wasn't your fight?
00:16:41No, that wasn't my fight.
00:16:42That wasn't my fight.
00:16:43Okay.
00:16:44So in Parliament, what is it that, what is it that you eat?
00:16:46What do you like eating in Parliament?
00:16:47The canteen?
00:16:48I don't like any, I like the old, I like the old canteen, which I usually take my food
00:16:53from home.
00:16:54So I am very set.
00:16:55Are you very particular about what you eat?
00:16:57I'm quite particular about what I eat.
00:16:58And I have, it's a big joke because I eat dal and bindi every single day of my life.
00:17:03You're kidding me.
00:17:04I eat dal and bindi.
00:17:05It's like Victoria Beckham who only eats fish and I think spinach every night.
00:17:08There you go.
00:17:09Dal and bindi every.
00:17:10I'm the posh girl of, I'm the posh girl of Parliament.
00:17:12There you go.
00:17:13Posh girl in the canteen.
00:17:14The posh girl in the canteen.
00:17:15Because Victoria.
00:17:16How are you posh if you open your dibba dabba with bindi and dal?
00:17:18No, no, no, no.
00:17:19Taking off from Victoria Beckham.
00:17:20Victoria Beckham was posh spy.
00:17:22So I'm just taking off from that.
00:17:23I know what you're saying.
00:17:24So no, I, so I take my, I've got a lovely hot case from Vaya.
00:17:29And I take that.
00:17:30I'm very proud of it.
00:17:31And it's got a spoon and a fork in it.
00:17:32Every day, bindi and dal.
00:17:33I take it every single day.
00:17:34But sometimes when the Andhra Brigade bring lunch.
00:17:37So two or three days a week, the Andhra Brigade bring keema biryani.
00:17:41I love that.
00:17:42And Supriya Sule, she brings this khichri with aloo, which is great.
00:17:46I like that.
00:17:47I have lunch every single day from home.
00:17:49Who do you share your lunchbox with?
00:17:50Nobody wants to share my lunch.
00:17:51That's the best thing about having dal and bindi.
00:17:53They look at it and go, oooh, kya khaare ya?
00:17:56So nobody wants to share my lunch.
00:17:57I get to eat it all by myself.
00:17:58So there's nothing that you pick off the canteen.
00:18:00The food's so cheap.
00:18:01No, no, no.
00:18:02It's a, I have a coffee once in a while.
00:18:04That's about it.
00:18:05Yeah.
00:18:06I'm not a big, this, this canteen isn't particularly good.
00:18:08The old one in, in the central hall was much better.
00:18:11What do you like there?
00:18:12I, you know, I, it wasn't that what you liked there.
00:18:16There was nothing which you craved, but if you were really hungry, you could eat a dosa
00:18:20and it would taste quite nice.
00:18:21And I used to quite like the chicken cutlets, but in this one, it's not particularly good.
00:18:27What is it like, you know, when all those debates are going on, is there a lot of, you
00:18:30know, because what we see as journalists, what viewers see is chaos, you know, people screaming,
00:18:38speeches being delivered.
00:18:39What do you guys do on the sidelines?
00:18:41Are there notes exchanged?
00:18:42Do you look at each other?
00:18:43What's, what's going on?
00:18:44Yeah.
00:18:45I mean, you have to understand one thing which really biases the average Indian's idea of
00:18:52parliament is that the ruling party controls sunset TV.
00:18:57And sunset TV is the only one who's allowed footage in parliament.
00:19:00So if the government doesn't want you to see something that is going on in parliament,
00:19:05there is no way.
00:19:06That's been a grouse of you guys.
00:19:08You guys are constantly.
00:19:09So today, for example, everything was happening, but the camera will only be on the chair and
00:19:15it will only be on the ruling party who's saying something.
00:19:18So anything we are saying or doing, it doesn't pan on us.
00:19:21Our mics are switched off.
00:19:22So what all of India sees on parliament is not really a true picture of parliament.
00:19:26So when people say, oh, you're disrupting parliament, you don't actually see that we're not disrupting.
00:19:30All we're saying is have a debate.
00:19:32When this particular week, the entire five days, parliament hasn't functioned.
00:19:36Do you know why?
00:19:37Because we've said we need a debate on SIR.
00:19:39We want to debate 56 lakh people deleted in Bihar.
00:19:44It's a joke.
00:19:45It's a mass disenfranchisement exercise going on.
00:19:48In Bihar, we need a debate on it.
00:19:50We want to discuss.
00:19:51That's what the parliament is saying.
00:19:52The opposition is saying.
00:19:54But what is coming across?
00:19:55What is coming across is some guys are shouting and screaming and the government is saying,
00:19:59we want to do something.
00:20:00If you want to do something, then we want to do something.
00:20:04You can't be sitting there and saying I'm chacha karna chaate and not giving us a time for the debate.
00:20:09But you've been known for, you know, speeches.
00:20:12I still remember the seven signs of fascism.
00:20:15My first one.
00:20:16Yeah, your first speech.
00:20:17And, you know, many, the BJP said that could imply to the, your own government in West Bengal as well.
00:20:23But having said that for somebody who's keenly watched on her speeches in parliament,
00:20:27who do you like hearing in parliament?
00:20:29And that could be across party lines.
00:20:30Who actually speaks well in parliament?
00:20:32There are a lot of good Hindi speakers who speak well.
00:20:36Like in the Rajya Sabha, I think Imran Pratapgari.
00:20:39Right.
00:20:40The speech, the last speech that Imran Pratapgari gave, I mean, really stirred my soul, so to speak.
00:20:47It was great in the Rajya Sabha.
00:20:49There are a lot of great, there are a lot of very good speakers.
00:20:51Who do you admire?
00:20:52Our party, he was very good.
00:20:56In Hindi, in the Lok Sabha, we have, it depends on the topic.
00:21:01There's, you know, there's not one consistent person every time.
00:21:05There's not always, there are some speakers who are consistently good.
00:21:09And Abhishek is very good.
00:21:11Abhishek Banerjeev from our party and National Institute, he's good.
00:21:14He doesn't speak as often as I would like him to.
00:21:16But when he does, I think he really hits home hard.
00:21:20He's a very good speaker.
00:21:22You have, in the Congress, they have a few good speakers.
00:21:26Samaj Wadi, Achillesh is a good speaker.
00:21:29They have, again, you know, there are some people who surprise you in Parliament.
00:21:35Who does?
00:21:36You don't expect, like in the last, again, Imran Masood was a great speaker.
00:21:40He stood up the last time and he spoke on the Waqf Amendment.
00:21:43There were a lot of great speakers on the Waqf Amendment.
00:21:46People I didn't think would be as good, but they were fabulous on it.
00:21:49And so I think each topic brings up somebody which is where they feel passionate about
00:21:54and they speak from their heart.
00:21:56The important thing about a good speech is that you must speak from your heart.
00:21:58So sometimes you get a speaker who's aligned with that topic.
00:22:01And that's when it happens.
00:22:03You know, sometimes you're assigned the topic by the party and you just speak.
00:22:06Right.
00:22:07And that's different from somebody who's really speaking from within.
00:22:09So different debates bring up different.
00:22:11Nobody from the Treasury Ventures?
00:22:12There are good people from the Treasury Ventures.
00:22:14Give me one.
00:22:16There are, I mean, Gatkari is a good speaker.
00:22:21He's a humorous speaker, but it depends again on the topic.
00:22:28Off the top of my head, I can't think of-
00:22:30Who's the worst?
00:22:33You really want me to say that?
00:22:34Of course, why not?
00:22:35I mean, anyone who's looking at a teleprompter, looking at-
00:22:38Who's looking at the sheets?
00:22:39To speak of.
00:22:40There are loads of them who are speaking of.
00:22:41You're the one who will say for what it is?
00:22:43There's lots of people looking at them.
00:22:44Give me one.
00:22:45There are lots of people who, you know, the problem with the Treasury Ventures now is that they come, it's like they've come deciding that they're going to say X no matter what the topic is.
00:22:57So it's like you ask a person their name and they keep saying, oh, today's Thursday.
00:23:00But what is your name, sir?
00:23:01But today's Thursday.
00:23:02Right.
00:23:03Who was the last one who said today's Thursday?
00:23:06No, you remember.
00:23:07The point is-
00:23:08You clearly remember.
00:23:09No, the point isn't that.
00:23:10The point is, the topic could be anything.
00:23:13And they would stand up and just say-
00:23:14You're being very politically correct.
00:23:15No, I'm not being politically correct.
00:23:16Give me one name.
00:23:17I'm not being politically correct.
00:23:18You could have.
00:23:19There's so many just-
00:23:20Give me one.
00:23:21I mean, the last few times, everyone in the Treasury, Achun Rameg, Wal Pralaj Joshi, all of these people would stand up and speak on anything which has nothing to do with anything.
00:23:31Right.
00:23:32I mean-
00:23:33Do you chat with somebody from the Treasury benches on the side?
00:23:35Because there are always some good leaders, you know, who-
00:23:38We don't have political chats, but they're friendly chats.
00:23:40Friendly, yeah.
00:23:41You can't along with anybody on the other side.
00:23:43Sure, sure.
00:23:44I've got friends across.
00:23:45Like I said, I go to the gym in the Constitution Club, and I think sport and physical exercise-
00:23:51You play sport?
00:23:52Always bring together-
00:23:53I mean, I used to swim and I used to be in athletics.
00:23:56Now I don't get time for any of that.
00:23:58But I do manage to go and work out at the Constitution Club gym.
00:24:01And there are a lot of-
00:24:03Yeah.
00:24:04Yeah.
00:24:05That's good.
00:24:06That's one of the things I try-
00:24:07I don't think they want me to say that on a podcast.
00:24:10But there are lots of people from the Treasury benches who work out.
00:24:13And I think that's always a good-
00:24:14Yeah.
00:24:15There are lots of good people across party lines there.
00:24:17So we chat a lot there.
00:24:18Well, that's good.
00:24:19Because that's good to know.
00:24:20Also, like you said, you're very regimented with your food.
00:24:22You look great.
00:24:23And I think that's something that you get very often.
00:24:24So I don't want to get into that.
00:24:27So, no meata for you?
00:24:29I like meata.
00:24:30It depends on what I like.
00:24:31What is it?
00:24:32I'm not a-
00:24:33Is it something that you eat on a daily basis?
00:24:35No, there's nothing I like on a daily basis.
00:24:37But if I get a craving for something, I'll eat it.
00:24:39I don't deny myself something.
00:24:40If I get a craving for milk chocolate with hazelnut or something like that, I'll eat it.
00:24:45Or I like Bengali sweets.
00:24:47So, when the guru season is on, which is say November, December, January, February.
00:24:53December, January, February, I have to be a bit careful because I eat a lot of guru sweets.
00:24:58So, Rasugulla, what do you think? It's from Odisha or West Bengal?
00:25:01Orissa has its own Rasugulla.
00:25:04Okay.
00:25:05And Bengal has their own.
00:25:06You know where I'm getting at.
00:25:07Yeah.
00:25:08But I fought this out in the house as well.
00:25:10But I like both.
00:25:11I actually like the Orissa Rasugulla and Bengal Rasugulla.
00:25:13They both make a great Rasugulla.
00:25:14But I think Bengal has the patent over that.
00:25:17Bengal has.
00:25:18How does that conversation pan out at home now?
00:25:21Well, I think both of us being served at the table.
00:25:26Let's leave it at that.
00:25:27Well, you know, but you're free to talk or not speak about it.
00:25:31But congratulations.
00:25:32Thank you very much.
00:25:33You have just gotten married.
00:25:35The pictures were lovely.
00:25:36You looked really lovely.
00:25:37That pink saree was done.
00:25:40Was it impromptu?
00:25:41Nobody really knew about it.
00:25:42And suddenly we saw pictures.
00:25:43Was it something that you were planning?
00:25:45No, no.
00:25:46Obviously, you can't have a wedding.
00:25:47You can't have weddings.
00:25:48It looked like, you know.
00:25:49Yeah, you can't have a wedding.
00:25:50It was a very small wedding.
00:25:51There were only 22, 23 people at the wedding, which is very small.
00:25:56I think there were 22 people in all.
00:25:58And it was lovely.
00:25:59All I can say is it was really the happiest.
00:26:02It was the happiest time ever because it was everything that I wanted it to be.
00:26:06It was, it felt like a party more than a wedding because it didn't have any stress around it.
00:26:10Normally, when you do a wedding in India, you're, you know, you're busy with the arrangements.
00:26:15And at least I have, you know, a lot of my friends have been, I don't even remember what it was.
00:26:19But it was, you know, you're, it's quite stressful.
00:26:22But I think, A, not the fact that we weren't here.
00:26:25A, and the fact, B, the fact that it was so small, really took the stress factor out of it.
00:26:30So everyone was just having a good time, including me.
00:26:32And I was just really happy and having a good time.
00:26:34And I think that, that showed when everyone said, you know, where did you get your makeup done?
00:26:38Or where did the truth is, I didn't get any makeup done.
00:26:40And, you know, what did you do with your hair?
00:26:41I said, I had somebody to come in and put some flowers in my hair and do it.
00:26:44And that was great.
00:26:45But I was just happy.
00:26:46And I was with my closest friends and family.
00:26:49And that, so it was wonderful.
00:26:51You looked happy.
00:26:52You know, I'm not going to ask you about a timeframe.
00:26:54But when did you know that this was love and this was something that, you know, because beyond a certain age, you know, what's the point of marriage is something that you hear very often.
00:27:01What made you take that path?
00:27:03You know, I've always, I'm a great romantic at heart.
00:27:05Really?
00:27:06I'm a great romantic at heart and so is Panakhi.
00:27:07And both of us are great romantics at heart.
00:27:09That's lovely.
00:27:10Yeah, we are.
00:27:11And when people say, well, they don't believe in marriage.
00:27:12I've never been someone like that.
00:27:14I've never been that.
00:27:15I believed in the institutional marriage.
00:27:16My, I was married before to a wonderful man and I had a wonderful first marriage.
00:27:20It didn't work out because of distance and whatever, whatever situations happen in life.
00:27:24But I've never been a cynic that, oh, I hate marriage and I'm never going to be married.
00:27:29And, and I'm a great romantic.
00:27:31I believe in love.
00:27:32As you will see from my past record, I'm always searching for love.
00:27:36You do that.
00:27:37You do that.
00:27:38I'm a believer in love.
00:27:39I'm a romantic at heart and there's nothing wrong with that.
00:27:41I'd rather, I'd rather love five times and be hurt than not having, than not love at
00:27:46all.
00:27:47I'm a believer in that.
00:27:48So, um, Panakhi is a great romantic at heart as well.
00:27:51So I think, um, yeah, we definitely wanted to be together.
00:27:55We were, uh, we were, we were in love and wanted to be together.
00:27:58And in India, one of the things I think it, maybe if I'd lived in another country, it
00:28:05wouldn't be that important.
00:28:06But in India, given what we do and where we live, the dignity that you, there is no concept
00:28:12as a partner.
00:28:13When you ask someone, uh, this is my partner, half the people will look at you and say,
00:28:18it's your business partner.
00:28:19Right?
00:28:20Like I said, we live in deeply misogynistic society.
00:28:23So when I knew that I wanted to be with this person and you wanted to be with me, then,
00:28:28you know, that's, it's fine.
00:28:30And none of us are anti marriage.
00:28:32So it's, it's great to be married.
00:28:33I quite enjoy it.
00:28:34Is it too personal or can we ask, was there a proposal?
00:28:37I think we kind of knew.
00:28:39You do have a ring, right?
00:28:40No, it's nice.
00:28:41Yeah.
00:28:42This is my ring actually.
00:28:43It's quite lovely.
00:28:44It's, it's paired with the Pinaki's ring.
00:28:45He has one and I have one.
00:28:46So it's nice.
00:28:47Uh, but, um, no, it's one of those things we knew we were going to get married.
00:28:51So I don't think there was, we just knew, we knew we were.
00:28:53So how did you pick the date or he picked the date?
00:28:56Well, it was kind of like when are the Supreme court holidays?
00:28:59It was like when are the Supreme court holidays and it was before the parliament session.
00:29:05So I think it was pretty much.
00:29:07So I think all lawyers, they get a month off in the summer.
00:29:09So whatever you want to do, you better do it in that, in those 30 days.
00:29:12How do you guys spend your time?
00:29:14What do you do?
00:29:15Like do you play Scrabble?
00:29:16We don't have any, we've just had no free time.
00:29:18It's crazy because I'm in constituency most of the time.
00:29:22And then when you're in Delhi, it's just really rushed.
00:29:24Like now in parliament, I wake up in the morning.
00:29:26I tell you my regular day, wake up in the morning, I'm out of the house by 8.30 to go to the gym.
00:29:31I finish at the gym.
00:29:32I, you know, go into parliament.
00:29:34And if I'm back for lunch, I'm back for lunch.
00:29:37Pinaki works out at home.
00:29:38He goes to the courts and maybe he's back for lunch.
00:29:41And then after, then by the time we have finished and come home, like now he's in conference.
00:29:46Need to finish conference and come home at 7.30, 8.
00:29:48And usually some people come over or we're invited somewhere.
00:29:51And before you know it, it's 11 o'clock.
00:29:53So it's really been a bit of a whirlwind.
00:29:55Otherwise, is it like you guys enjoy a game of Scrabble?
00:29:58You like getting a glass of wine?
00:30:00I love Scrabble.
00:30:01I love Scrabble.
00:30:02I know that because I speak to some of your friends.
00:30:05But Pinaki is not a Scrabble person.
00:30:07He's not a Scrabble person at all.
00:30:08He thinks he's going to beat the pants off me if he plays.
00:30:11But having said that, he's never played.
00:30:13He watches Netflix when he's alone.
00:30:17I don't watch TV.
00:30:18I don't watch TV at all.
00:30:19Really?
00:30:20I don't watch TV at all.
00:30:21So I prefer he finishes Netflix before I come into town.
00:30:24But we listen to a lot of music together.
00:30:26What kind?
00:30:27We like traveling.
00:30:28It's always old Hindi songs or classical music.
00:30:31You're kidding me.
00:30:32Yeah.
00:30:33Your old Hindi classical songs.
00:30:34I thought you'd be like 70s rock or something.
00:30:36No, no, no, no, no.
00:30:37I'm not really into it.
00:30:38No, not into that.
00:30:39No, no, no, no.
00:30:40Pinaki is an encyclopedia on Hindi music.
00:30:42So we listen to a lot of Hindi music.
00:30:43And we sit and chat or something if we have free time.
00:30:46We have free time.
00:30:47But like I said, we've had very little free time lately.
00:30:49But we love travel when we can.
00:30:51You do?
00:30:52And I love cooking.
00:30:53So I cook.
00:30:55But that's a small sliver of my life.
00:30:57My life is in silos.
00:30:58When I'm in Delhi, I have a different life.
00:30:59And when I'm in the constituency, I have a different life.
00:31:01So when I'm here, I get time to cook and do a few things.
00:31:04But that's not.
00:31:05When I'm in constituency, I'm a complicated environment.
00:31:07Well, thank you for sharing.
00:31:08It's personal.
00:31:09So thank you for sharing that with us.
00:31:10But a lot of, a lot was said, Mahua, around it as well.
00:31:13And some of, a lot of, you know, one would actually, you know, call it trash talk.
00:31:18Came from your own party people.
00:31:19Now, I know you quite wouldn't give a rat sass or you don't care a damn about what people
00:31:23say, but they were saying it.
00:31:24I don't think there was a they.
00:31:25I think it was a he.
00:31:26Kalyan Banerjee.
00:31:27I don't think there was a they.
00:31:28I'm glad you say it.
00:31:29It was a he.
00:31:30I'll name the he.
00:31:31It was one person.
00:31:32It wasn't a they.
00:31:33So Kalyan Banerjee.
00:31:34And it's not the first time he's gone after you.
00:31:35He has gone after you repeatedly.
00:31:37He himself ran a campaign, you know, 20, 24 elections.
00:31:41I was there.
00:31:42I remember interviewing him and then I went to his constituency.
00:31:45He ran a deeply problematic campaign against the girl who was standing from the left, which
00:31:50constantly character assassinated that girl.
00:31:53And you guys are all in the same political outfit.
00:31:56How does it really work?
00:31:57You know, you don't wrestle with the pig because the pig likes it and you get dirty.
00:32:04So that's kind of been my outlook to this whole thing.
00:32:07But like I said, there are deeply misogynistic, sexually frustrated, depraved men in India.
00:32:14And obviously, they have their representation in parliament.
00:32:17And that's across all parties.
00:32:18But I thought your party was different.
00:32:20Why would why?
00:32:21No party.
00:32:22Why does Mamata Banerjee have a pig pen then?
00:32:25Every party, unfortunately.
00:32:27And I am district president.
00:32:30And there are people in my district, workers or people who are even close to me, who have
00:32:37one side of them that is deeply problematic.
00:32:39But when you are, I run, I have, I'm responsible for something as tiny as a district.
00:32:45And even within that, there are times where I have to carry for the sake of carrying along
00:32:50the party and carrying along a great section of people with me, people who've been associated
00:32:55with the party for a very long time.
00:32:57There are things that you will handle.
00:32:59So I think when it comes to, when it comes to Didi, please understand she herself has been
00:33:04through a lot.
00:33:05So it's not that she doesn't understand it.
00:33:07And she's had to be through a lot and she tries her best to solve issues.
00:33:11So I have faith that she will solve it when she comes.
00:33:14But you have to understand that sometimes she has to blend situations where certain people
00:33:20have been associated with her for a long time.
00:33:23And there's a price on that loyalty.
00:33:26I understand that.
00:33:27There's a price on that loyalty.
00:33:28So if it's, is it deeply emblematic of our party?
00:33:33No.
00:33:34Or disconcerting?
00:33:35No.
00:33:36Is it deeply emblematic of our party?
00:33:37Is it symptomatic of our party?
00:33:38No.
00:33:39It's not symptomatic of our party.
00:33:40Is it one outlier?
00:33:41Yes.
00:33:42And if I can choose to out, and the whole world can see that outlier for who he is.
00:33:48I don't need to come out and say anything about him.
00:33:50You just did.
00:33:51You called him a pig.
00:33:52I just said, I don't wrestle with a pig.
00:33:54I don't wrestle with a pig because the pig likes it and you get dirty.
00:33:58So that's my view to dealing with trolls.
00:34:00That's my view to dealing with misogynistic men everywhere.
00:34:03Have you ever seen me getting into this?
00:34:05I don't get into it.
00:34:06Let me ask a larger question on that account.
00:34:08Because, you know, I understand what you're saying.
00:34:10And that's a problem with every political party today.
00:34:13There is a price for loyalty.
00:34:15But you have to see how many is it and does the party stamp it?
00:34:19Our party doesn't stamp it.
00:34:21And they don't give it a good housekeeping seal of approval.
00:34:23But we don't see any public statements coming at all.
00:34:26That is unfortunate.
00:34:27That is problematic.
00:34:28That is unfortunate.
00:34:29That is unfortunate.
00:34:30But having said that, I think all of India and certainly all of Bengal can see the outlier
00:34:37for what he is.
00:34:38And I think that does me much more good than if I'd gone in there and had a spat.
00:34:44I think staying away from it and letting people see what we have to struggle against every single day.
00:34:50And the rubbish that goes on.
00:34:52I think that makes us almost stronger because people can see what we have to put up with.
00:34:57But Mahua, people can see that.
00:34:59But does your own party see it?
00:35:00Yes.
00:35:01Does Mamta Banerjee see the lights?
00:35:02She definitely sees that.
00:35:04She definitely sees that.
00:35:05She does.
00:35:06That's more problematic because if you see it and you don't address it.
00:35:09No.
00:35:10She does see that.
00:35:11She does see that.
00:35:12And like I said, when you are running a party and you're a chief minister and you're running a large political outfit,
00:35:18it's not always possible for her to act in exactly the way I would probably want her to act.
00:35:24Exactly the same way.
00:35:25Let me ask you.
00:35:26But has she never done, is she not doing anything about it?
00:35:28I mean, let me say, I can say with a great deal of responsibility that she will do something about it.
00:35:34Let me ask you a larger question there.
00:35:36You know, so stemming from what you just said, where West Bengal, TMC, Mamta Banerjee is concerned,
00:35:43some would think that of everything that she opposed, of everything that she grew on,
00:35:48the parties become exactly that.
00:35:50When you talk about cartelization of power, that is happening.
00:35:53You know, when you speak to people, they cut money.
00:35:56How, you know, look at the cases that have happened in terms of sexual harassment.
00:36:00There are a lot of questions asked of the MP, women MPs like you, who have been silent on certain issues.
00:36:06No, we haven't been silent on any issue.
00:36:07We haven't been silent on any issue.
00:36:09Let's start with, you have to understand, Preeti, that we are battling as any opposition party is.
00:36:14How many opposition rule states are there?
00:36:16There's only one lady chief minister and that's Mamta Banerjee.
00:36:19When you look at the opposition states and you look at how biased the media is,
00:36:23if anything happens in any opposition state, people go to town.
00:36:27People go to town.
00:36:28So you take the RG Cor incident, for example.
00:36:32Initially, they were acting as though the government had gone in there and caused this incident.
00:36:38That's what it was.
00:36:39And we came out and the false propaganda that was out there.
00:36:43And we came out and said, look, that's not what happened.
00:36:45I personally went on air.
00:36:46All of us went on air.
00:36:47Nobody was shying away, but nobody wanted to listen.
00:36:50The BJP had a set story that they put out there.
00:36:53And every day, people were going to town with it.
00:36:55So we said, give it to the CBI.
00:36:57We caught the person.
00:36:58The Calcutta police caught the person.
00:37:00We gave it to the CBI.
00:37:01What has the CBI done?
00:37:03The exact same person that the Calcutta police caught was the person accused.
00:37:06They said, oh, it was a gang rave.
00:37:08There were 10 people involved.
00:37:09You're hiding ex.
00:37:10What has the CBI come back with?
00:37:11Has the CBI come back with anything that the Calcutta police didn't?
00:37:14Had it been a biased investigation, then surely the CBI, with all its power and all its resources,
00:37:19would have come back with something else.
00:37:21So number one, if you see the second situation, which had just happened at the college in Calcutta,
00:37:25day one, day one, every single woman MP came out and said that this is unacceptable.
00:37:31We took all the three people were arrested immediately.
00:37:35So the sheer fact, Mahua, that all these three people were closely associated with the TMC.
00:37:40There were complaints against them.
00:37:42Therefore, the question of the cartelization of power.
00:37:44It's not a cartelization.
00:37:45I wouldn't call it a cartelization of power.
00:37:47But when, look, when you are running a state and you are a party in power,
00:37:52there are people who are directly associated with the party and there are people who are feeding off the party.
00:37:57You'll always have A, B, C, D. You can't stop that anywhere.
00:38:00That's par for the course.
00:38:01That's par for the course.
00:38:02So when you have, say, circle C and D and E, and if it's a direct post holder, you have direct control over it.
00:38:10Now, the person who did it wasn't a direct post holder.
00:38:12What do we learn from it?
00:38:13You learn from it that a person who is no longer associated with the party that you shouldn't allow them into the college.
00:38:19That's that's number one.
00:38:21That that is, I would say, the slip in the cracks that that is a crack that one has to fix.
00:38:26But did we come out and immediately act on it?
00:38:28So when something happens, how do you act on it?
00:38:31That's the difference.
00:38:32You can't stop it from happening.
00:38:33You can't.
00:38:34No one of us can stop this from happening.
00:38:35But how quickly do you take action?
00:38:37And is there a way to take action is what differentiates the weight from the shelf.
00:38:41What happens in the BJP ruled states?
00:38:43There is no action in Bengal.
00:38:45Every single time there has been something within 24 hours, there's action.
00:38:49That's the difference.
00:38:50It's not that it doesn't happen.
00:38:51I mean, you take the cases in UP.
00:38:53There is no action.
00:38:54Nothing happens.
00:38:56You had an MP's son run over people in a car.
00:38:59What happened every single day?
00:39:01What are the Kavariya's doing in UP every single day?
00:39:04Where is the action?
00:39:06You cannot today, a Muslim cannot offer namaz on the roof of his own house and you are closing
00:39:15the Delhi Mirat expressway for seven days?
00:39:19I mean, just think about it.
00:39:21So it's only that you're going after opposition ruled states.
00:39:24And I said it on record and I've said this every single time.
00:39:28We're the only party that takes action.
00:39:30Even if it's one of our own, we have expelled people.
00:39:32We have suspended people.
00:39:33We've gone out and put our neck on the line.
00:39:36Okay.
00:39:37So you don't, you don't Netflix.
00:39:39I don't want to say it.
00:39:40It just sounded so wrong.
00:39:41It sounds quite terrible.
00:39:42I know.
00:39:43I know.
00:39:44We can't use it as verb.
00:39:45So you don't.
00:39:46One of the non-verb words.
00:39:47Yeah.
00:39:48So there's no, you don't OTT.
00:39:49You're not, you know, you're not watching any of this series.
00:39:51I download stuff on a while and when I'm on a flight, I'll watch it.
00:39:54Only on a flight?
00:39:55Yeah.
00:39:56Only on a flight.
00:39:57Even then I don't have the thing to watch the whole thing, but sometimes I'll watch it.
00:39:59Do you watch movies?
00:40:02Sometimes I'll download something on a flight and watch it.
00:40:04That's it.
00:40:05Nothing.
00:40:06Do you read?
00:40:07I read.
00:40:08I read.
00:40:09Yeah.
00:40:10I read, but not as much as I would like to.
00:40:11I'm just so busy reading, you know, newspaper articles and stuff that I don't really have time
00:40:14to read like a proper book.
00:40:16Do you ever regret this life that, you know, I should have just been there.
00:40:19No, no, no.
00:40:20The vice president at JP Morgan was very good.
00:40:21No, no, no, no, no.
00:40:22I mean, how could you even ask the question?
00:40:23Why not?
00:40:24You've had a job.
00:40:25I have 74 women out of a nation of 140 people.
00:40:29I would have lived and died a life in JP Morgan.
00:40:32There are countless VPs in investment banking, apart from their wives and husbands.
00:40:37The amount of stress it's given you.
00:40:39But what has it given me on the other side?
00:40:41Think of the amazing amount of work I've been able to do.
00:40:44I mean, it's a blessed privileged life.
00:40:47It is.
00:40:48I count my blessings every single day.
00:40:50So no Bollywood, no Hollywood.
00:40:51You don't watch any movies.
00:40:52You're very boring that.
00:40:53No, no.
00:40:54I watched it while I watched.
00:40:56There are a few films I watched that I like.
00:40:58I love.
00:40:59Like I watched the Munnabai series again.
00:41:01I watched.
00:41:02What is that?
00:41:03What is that one with the Vicky Dona?
00:41:04I love that film.
00:41:05I watched it then.
00:41:06The other day I saw.
00:41:08I saw this.
00:41:09Something Ki Dulanya.
00:41:10Something I could watch only about some of it.
00:41:12I love.
00:41:13I love Pankaj Tripathi.
00:41:16What's her name?
00:41:17Pankaj Tripathi.
00:41:18I don't watch so much.
00:41:19Yeah, but there's this guy who was in.
00:41:20Pankaj Tripathi.
00:41:21Pankaj Tripathi.
00:41:22I watched the entire Munnabai series.
00:41:24Okay, so you wrote.
00:41:25And I even wrote him a note.
00:41:26You wrote him a note.
00:41:27Which he never replied to, but.
00:41:28I wrote him a note.
00:41:29I don't think he got it.
00:41:30He's my crush.
00:41:31Really?
00:41:32Pankaj Tripathi is your crush?
00:41:33Yes, he is.
00:41:34I think he's the coolest actor.
00:41:36I love him.
00:41:37I love the mean bad roles he does.
00:41:38I loved him in Mirzapur.
00:41:39He was in Gangs of Wasseypur.
00:41:40I love him.
00:41:41And you wrote him a note and he never got back.
00:41:42I wrote him a note.
00:41:43I did an interview.
00:41:44I wrote Pankaj Tripathi a note.
00:41:45Yes.
00:41:46What did the note say?
00:41:47I said, I'm a big fan and I'd love to meet you for a coffee.
00:41:49But apparently he stays in Alibag and doesn't meet anyone for a coffee.
00:41:52You're kidding me.
00:41:53No.
00:41:54You know how I sent it.
00:41:55This was before Pinaki Mishra?
00:41:56No.
00:41:57I keep talking about it all the time.
00:41:58I hope.
00:41:59No, this was when I was being interviewed by an anchor.
00:42:01Right.
00:42:02And she said, I'm going to interview Pankaj Tripathi next.
00:42:05And I said, oh my God, are you?
00:42:06Would you give him a note?
00:42:07So I gave her a note.
00:42:09And then there was this time when Ravi Kishan, who's the MP from Gorakhpur.
00:42:12You get along with him.
00:42:13Yeah.
00:42:14He's really funny.
00:42:15He's quite a riot.
00:42:16So he says, oh, you're my friend.
00:42:18So he was talking to him.
00:42:19One day, talk to me.
00:42:20So one day in the old central hall.
00:42:21He's in BJP, all of that.
00:42:22Why would he make you, do any favors for you?
00:42:24No, no.
00:42:25He made me speak to Pankaj Tripathi.
00:42:26He did.
00:42:27On the telephone, he did.
00:42:28Did you tell him I sent you a note?
00:42:29I think I was a bit shy.
00:42:31I don't think I did.
00:42:32I said hello and I'm a big fan.
00:42:34There you go.
00:42:36So Ravi Kishan is someone you get along with from the BJP.
00:42:38He cracks me up.
00:42:39How do you guys, because, okay, to be honest.
00:42:41He cracks me up.
00:42:42He's really funny.
00:42:43But to be honest, for somebody from the outside, a Mahua Moitra and a Ravi Kishan really,
00:42:47you know, the twain meeting is improbable.
00:42:50No, no, no, no.
00:42:51It's great.
00:42:52He's wonderful.
00:42:53He cracks me up.
00:42:54He cracks you up.
00:42:55He cracks me up.
00:42:56Yeah.
00:42:57And I saw the film.
00:42:58I love that film, which he was in.
00:42:59The Lapata ladies.
00:43:00He was very good.
00:43:01He was great.
00:43:02He's great.
00:43:03I love him.
00:43:04There are a few guys that I love.
00:43:05I love him.
00:43:06I don't remember all of their names, but I love that genre of Hindi cinema.
00:43:10Well, there are a few in the parliament who are obsessed with you.
00:43:13Nishikan Dube for one.
00:43:14Ah.
00:43:15It's, what is it?
00:43:16I'm going to go back to my wrestling analogy.
00:43:19With the pig.
00:43:20With my wrestling analogy.
00:43:21Okay.
00:43:22Okay.
00:43:23So you don't want to even, you know, get into it.
00:43:24Life's too short.
00:43:25No, that, you know, that, that, that bit I agree.
00:43:27What is it?
00:43:28You know, in your.
00:43:30I have a life.
00:43:31What can I say?
00:43:32I mean, I, I actually think I'm quite lucky.
00:43:34I think I'm quite.
00:43:35Imagine there are so many people that you don't know that I don't spend a minute thinking
00:43:38about these people and they spend their lives obsessing about me and giving interviews
00:43:42and, you know, having press conferences about me.
00:43:44It's quite wonderful.
00:43:45I mean, think about it.
00:43:46Think about how these people matter nothing to me.
00:43:49I don't even care what they live, die.
00:43:51Nothing happens.
00:43:52They're of no consequence to my existence.
00:43:54And I am a source of.
00:43:55When was the last time you spoke to Mamata Banerjee?
00:43:57I speak to her.
00:43:59Very often.
00:44:00Not very often.
00:44:01Is it a formal conversation or is it?
00:44:03It depends on what we're speaking about, obviously.
00:44:05I mean, of course.
00:44:06How did she wish you for your wedding?
00:44:08She was happy.
00:44:09She was very happy.
00:44:10She was happy.
00:44:11She was very happy.
00:44:12She was like, you know, she was very happy for both of us.
00:44:14She said, be happy.
00:44:15She gave me a lot of love and affection.
00:44:17Do you get along better with Mamata Banerjee or Abhishek?
00:44:20I get along both with him.
00:44:21But the relationship is different, obviously.
00:44:23But Abhishek's a lovely.
00:44:24He's lovely.
00:44:25He's lovely.
00:44:26And he's, like I said, he's really, really come into his own.
00:44:30He's really come into his own.
00:44:31And I'm really proud of him.
00:44:33I'm really proud of him as the next generation.
00:44:36So you say he's the next generation.
00:44:38He's the next generation of all of us.
00:44:40He's the next generation of leaders in India.
00:44:41So Abhishek is the heir apparent.
00:44:42It's clear.
00:44:43Look, Mamata Banerjee is the leader of our party.
00:44:47Right?
00:44:48And she's a leader of our party.
00:44:50And when I say next generation, I mean the next generation of the political class in India.
00:44:57So when you see them standing up in parliament and you see anyone under the age of 40, even I'm 50, when you see young speakers under the age of 40 stand up and speak like that with passion and really take on the government and play their role as opposition MPs.
00:45:13And you see Ikra.
00:45:14You see so many of these.
00:45:15And I'm very proud of him.
00:45:16I'm very proud of the work, the hard work that he's doing and all of that.
00:45:20But Mahua, you do understand that there are political leaders, not just outside your party, but in your party that resent you and for a while.
00:45:28So that Maim Sahib tag had stemmed from your party, not outside.
00:45:32Like I said, I don't care about this.
00:45:35I don't even care about it.
00:45:36If you want everyone to like you, sell ice cream.
00:45:39If you want everyone to like you, sell ice cream.
00:45:42Don't go fighting for a Lok Sabha seat in the greatest democracy in the world.
00:45:46This isn't a popularity contest within your own party.
00:45:49Do you get along with leaders from your own party?
00:45:51I mean, as much as I need to.
00:45:53Sure.
00:45:54So they're, they're no like real friends that you can pick up the phone.
00:45:58Of course I have friends.
00:45:59That's not true.
00:46:00That's not true.
00:46:01I have real friends.
00:46:02I have real friends.
00:46:03I mean, I get along with a lot of the MPs.
00:46:05We're great friends.
00:46:06I mean, June, Shani.
00:46:07We're all great friends.
00:46:08I think Prati Mahdi.
00:46:09You know, we're all Grishwata Abdi.
00:46:11We're great friends in parliament.
00:46:12And there's a really strong bond among the women leaders.
00:46:15And even in my constituency, I think I have great friends across my country who were with me through thick and thin.
00:46:22You have to understand you as you get older in life and in our life, you don't seek the same thing from your friends.
00:46:29Do I seek the same things from my friends in politics as I do from my friends who went to Mount Holyoke?
00:46:35No.
00:46:36If I want to talk about a pair of shoes that you're getting in New York, I want to talk about American politics.
00:46:42Am I going to discuss it with somebody in Karimpur? No.
00:46:45If I need to talk about what is happening in Bengal politics and what do you think is going to go forward or how should I handle this challenge?
00:46:51You go to different friends for different things.
00:46:53And I'm sure you do the same thing.
00:46:55So we have a variety of friends as I do in my life.
00:46:58And there are some friends, my college friends who I'm very close to, very, I mean, we're like sisters, all of us.
00:47:02And they were all at my wedding.
00:47:04And they were all at my 50th birthday.
00:47:06So that girl gang, I can't call ourselves a women gang yet, but the girl gang is who I turn to for most things in my life.
00:47:14But there are other people in my life that I turn to.
00:47:17Do you think things and people would have been kinder if you hadn't outrightly attacked the prime minister and the home minister?
00:47:23That's my job.
00:47:24Because you verbalized it and so many times.
00:47:26That's my job.
00:47:27Things would have been easier if you had it.
00:47:28That's my job.
00:47:29That's my job.
00:47:30I'm here, as I said, as an opposition MP in a fascist ruling, majoritarian ruling party that is trampling on our constitution.
00:47:38What am I supposed to do?
00:47:40Sing payans to the home minister and to this prime minister.
00:47:42What's your outlook with this whole language, you know, wall, controversy, whatever.
00:47:47This is a deeply problematic, troubling issue for all of India.
00:47:53And people should wake up to it.
00:47:55This is how every fascist movement and genocide.
00:48:02But they're saying it's not imposition.
00:48:04Let me finish.
00:48:05It is linguistic when you are being discriminated against on your linguistic identity.
00:48:10That is the beginning of the end.
00:48:12Okay.
00:48:13So when you see what is happening with Bengali migrants all over India today, there's no law.
00:48:19There's an illegal May 2nd, 2025, an illegal MHA notification that was sent to just the BJP rule states, not to the chiefs.
00:48:28Our own chief secretary didn't know about it.
00:48:31And it basically allowed them to go pick up anybody they wanted and detain them for 30 days on the pretext of verification.
00:48:37Now, you're a migrant worker who's working everywhere.
00:48:40If you see all of us.
00:48:42Now, in Gurgaon, for example, who are the residents of Gurgaon?
00:48:47The original residents of Gurgaon sold their land, bought big SUVs and go around driving those big SUVs and drinking beer on the highways now.
00:48:55Those are the original residents of Gurgaon.
00:48:57This could get you into trouble.
00:48:59It's fine.
00:49:00It is what it is.
00:49:01I mean, so who are the residents of Gurgaon?
00:49:03You have these high rises in Gurgaon, expensive high rises.
00:49:06Who lives in them?
00:49:07They are techies from Karnataka, from Hyderabad, from everywhere.
00:49:11Are they not migrants?
00:49:12Why are they not called migrants?
00:49:14Because they're rich and they have a higher salary.
00:49:16So anyone who doesn't belong, who has come out of their state in search of work is technically a migrant.
00:49:23Yes or no?
00:49:24Yeah.
00:49:25So everyone who's living in Gurgaon today, Gurgaon's entire ecosystem is built by migrants and inhabited by migrants.
00:49:32So people who have come from Bengal, who are working in Gurgaon, just because that person is a maid, she's looking after your children.
00:49:38She's a nanny for your child.
00:49:39She's cooking the food in your house that you are working all day.
00:49:42You come back home, you're eating that food.
00:49:44These are people who are keeping the ecosystem going.
00:49:46They're Bengalis from my constituency, from Nadia, from Murshinabad, from all of these places, who have a right to live and work anywhere in India.
00:49:53Article 19D, fundamental right, Article 19G, the right to profess any livelihood and the right to go anywhere freely within the territory of India are fundamental rights.
00:50:04How can you say you're speaking in Bengali, you're a Bangladeshi and you've got to prove it?
00:50:08Who are you?
00:50:09Who are you?
00:50:10So by that logic I can say you're a mass murderer because you're speaking Gujarati.
00:50:15Where does this stop?
00:50:17Where does this stop?
00:50:18How dare you pick up our people?
00:50:20How dare you pick up our people and put them in illegal camps and put them through this harrowing experience of what is the protocol?
00:50:27If you think they've all got Aadhaar cards.
00:50:29Today, no migrant who is working out of Bengal or any other state, I can put on record, nobody travels without their Aadhaar card.
00:50:36Everyone travels with their Aadhaar card and their voter card and with some form of identity.
00:50:40There's no cash economy anymore. Most of migrant workers have bank accounts through which they send home, so most of them have even bank accounts.
00:50:47So you want verification? Everybody has documents. You want them verified?
00:50:51Please speak to the SP of the concerned district in Bengal, they will verify it and send you the verification report.
00:50:56That's the standard operating protocol and has been for years.
00:50:59You don't pick up lakhs of people or thousands of people everywhere and terrorize them and put them in illegal detention camps.
00:51:06Tell me something, do you like Delhi?
00:51:07Do you like Delhi?
00:51:08No, you're changing the topic.
00:51:10Just because it's a podcast and we're talking about, I'm equally happy to talk about my fun wedding, but then I have to be given the freedom to talk about this as well.
00:51:17I'll come back to it. Do you like Delhi?
00:51:20I mean, Delhi is not my city.
00:51:24You're passionate, I have to give you that.
00:51:26Delhi is not my city. It's a city in which, it's where the seat of power and the seat of parliament is, but Delhi is not my home.
00:51:36It's not my home.
00:51:37I'm very much a Bengal person and I'm very much a Nadia person.
00:51:40So my home is and always will be.
00:51:42Is there something you like about Delhi?
00:51:44I don't dislike Delhi. I don't dislike any place.
00:51:46Really?
00:51:47I don't dislike Delhi, but it's just another place.
00:51:51I don't put much thought into it.
00:51:52When I'm here, it's okay.
00:51:53When I'm not here, I don't miss it.
00:51:54Are there places that you go to once in a way?
00:51:57Delhi, it's fine.
00:51:59I like my home in Delhi.
00:52:01It's an oasis and I like my home.
00:52:03I like my kitchen in Delhi, which lets me cook, which lets me.
00:52:06It's just your home and the parliament and that's it.
00:52:09Pretty much. I'm not really, I mean, I'm not really.
00:52:12Like to go out to a restaurant or to go for a walk.
00:52:14We don't have the time much to go around in the restaurant.
00:52:17And I have this theory, whenever we go out to a restaurant,
00:52:19I always come back and tell Penaki, he laughs about it.
00:52:21I came back and say, oh my God, that's how much it costs.
00:52:23I can make it for half the price and it tastes better.
00:52:25So I'm always doing this.
00:52:27So I'm not much of a restaurant person.
00:52:29I'm always saying, oh my God, is that what we paid for it?
00:52:31I can always cook it better and cheaper.
00:52:33So that's funny.
00:52:35Really? Your husband actually looks at the bill?
00:52:37No, he doesn't. I do.
00:52:38You do?
00:52:39Oh my God, is that what we paid for it?
00:52:40I can always cook it better.
00:52:41So I'm always trying to replicate dishes at half the cost.
00:52:43Let me get back to Bengal.
00:52:45So, you know, with what you just spoke of,
00:52:47do you see, because you're in an election year now,
00:52:50you're going into elections next year,
00:52:52that what the last election played on,
00:52:54the government's practically given it to you on a platter,
00:52:56where it's nationalism and sub-regionalism.
00:52:58And you guys are doing it.
00:53:00You're already, the Asmita rallies are all about that.
00:53:02There is anti-incumbency.
00:53:03I'm sure you understand that.
00:53:05It's look, there's, we've been in power for,
00:53:08it's a fourth term.
00:53:09She's on her way to becoming a fourth term chief minister
00:53:12and we are coming back.
00:53:13Now, the nature of the universe is that people will,
00:53:19will like change.
00:53:20Even if you give everything to everybody
00:53:22and every government that gives them everything,
00:53:24there will always be some desire for change on the ground.
00:53:27Mm-hm.
00:53:28And, but the issue is, does, is this government,
00:53:33and I, with my hand on my heart, I can say this,
00:53:35that the Mamta Bananji government for Bengal has done more for the state
00:53:41and more for the people of Bengal than any other government has ever done
00:53:45and will ever do.
00:53:46It is a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
00:53:49And Mamta Bananji is a leader who is for the Bengali people.
00:53:55And people know that.
00:53:56She's their mother.
00:53:57She's their daughter.
00:53:58She is their sister.
00:53:59She is their Matri Roop in every way.
00:54:02And that's something that you see from top to bottom all over Bengal.
00:54:05And yes, are there places where we could improve?
00:54:08Of course we can.
00:54:09But are we listening to it?
00:54:10Yes, we are.
00:54:11We're on this continuous revision process.
00:54:13Like the electoral rolls,
00:54:14the government always is on a continuous revision process,
00:54:16and we have outreach programs where we're listening to people.
00:54:19And when people put in complaints,
00:54:21we try and institutionally try and fix the error.
00:54:24You know, I'm going to just take the last five or ten minutes,
00:54:26but Mahwa, the fact is, there is a certain amount of restlessness
00:54:29which is attached to the youth, especially in West Bengal,
00:54:32because that's all that they've seen is the rule of Mamta Bananji.
00:54:34And there is this bit of resentment that they've fallen out of,
00:54:38you know, or they've fallen through the crevices where development is concerned,
00:54:41be it industries, be itâĻ
00:54:43Have you seen the latest Neeti Ayyug report?
00:54:45No, I'm asking you.
00:54:46So I think that again is a myth that is perpetrated by the ruling party,
00:54:51and it's quite strange because even with all their propaganda,
00:54:54they can't shut up their own reports.
00:54:56So when you see the latest Neeti Ayyug report,
00:54:58Bengal has actually created more jobs and has done better on development structure.
00:55:01But interest indices on money.
00:55:03Sorry.
00:55:04India as a whole has 25% youth unemployment.
00:55:07As a whole,
00:55:08unemployed youth in India, 25 to 40,
00:55:10there's 25% youth unemployment all over India.
00:55:12This was a national government that came in saying that we're going to give you
00:55:15how many crore jobs a year and how many lakhs in your bank.
00:55:18This is not a problem which is endemic to Bengal,
00:55:20but Bengal as a state has done more for unemployment than the other states.
00:55:23But Marwa, infrastructureâĻ
00:55:24I'll give you an example.
00:55:26Driving from Calcutta to your constituency, we cried tears of blood.
00:55:31You know what?
00:55:32I would really suggest that you go speak to Mr. Nitin Gadkari, who's Minister of Highways.
00:55:35When you're travelling from Calcutta to Nadia, that's a national highway.
00:55:38That's a national highway.
00:55:39I did ask that.
00:55:40That's a national highway 34 and that from a very large stretch of it has not been done.
00:55:45I went and spoke to him and he did, and some part of it has now been done,
00:55:49so it's a little better than what it used to be.
00:55:51But again, if you see the roads, why are people voting in Mamata Banerjee?
00:55:56If there was no development on the ground, if I see within my constituency,
00:56:01I mean, it takes me very little time now within my constituency.
00:56:05There are parka roads everywhere.
00:56:07And we're not responsible for the state of the national highway.
00:56:10But if we were not providing roads, if we were not giving infrastructure,
00:56:15believe me, we would not be coming back for a full time.
00:56:18So you don't think development, infrastructure, industries are issues?
00:56:21No, those are our pluses.
00:56:22In the development and infrastructure are where we have scored 9 on 10.
00:56:25Tell me, what's the negative then?
00:56:28You know, there's negative in every government.
00:56:32There will be a negative in every government in that, yes, can we do better?
00:56:35Of course, we can do better.
00:56:36And there is going to be anti-incumbency.
00:56:38There is going to be anti-incumbency.
00:56:39And there's the usual tags of you're not doing this, you're not doing,
00:56:42you can't make everyone happy.
00:56:44So, yes, can we do more development?
00:56:48Yes, you can.
00:56:49But when we are talking about last mile connectivity and last mile reach out,
00:56:54I don't think any government has been able to do it the way we've done it.
00:56:58Like, I live in a predominantly rural constituency.
00:57:01I have only one municipality and 82 panchayats in my area.
00:57:05Every single household has been touched by some government program or the other.
00:57:10When I see almost, when I see the rate of girl children enrolled in school,
00:57:16when I see institutional deliveries, when I see maternal mortality,
00:57:20when I see the ASHA coverage, when I see the Kanyashri schemes,
00:57:25when I see all of these schemes, and I see the rate that we have hit,
00:57:29we have things like 96% coverage under the Lucky Mandar scheme.
00:57:35Think about it.
00:57:36You have the Maharashtra government, which comes to power,
00:57:39saying they're going to do Ladli Behna, and the minute they come to power,
00:57:41they stop the scheme.
00:57:42We have gone on and on and on and on.
00:57:44So, you know, if you're looking for someone to point out the negatives
00:57:48of the Mamtha Gabbana ji government, it's certainly not me.
00:57:50I'm not asking you.
00:57:51It's certainly not me.
00:57:52I have to take my chances.
00:57:55Okay.
00:57:56My last two questions.
00:57:57One, you know, I would like you to speak on Himanta Biswasarma,
00:57:59because you spoke about the migrant issue so passionately.
00:58:02And I would reckon a lot of that issue stems from Assam, where it all started.
00:58:08The Bengali Khadao Agarandolan.
00:58:09Exactly.
00:58:10It started Assam where we were from Assam.
00:58:12And the Bengali Khadao Agarandolan started there.
00:58:14And now, those who speak Bengali, as per the Chief Minister,
00:58:17are problematic and are Bangladeshis.
00:58:19So, you know, at some level, you feel sorry for the level of ignorance
00:58:24of these people.
00:58:25And the other side, there's no greater tragedy for India,
00:58:28where people who are this divisive, this hate-filled and this ignorant
00:58:32are in seats of power.
00:58:34And when you say, why don't you take action?
00:58:36When you're saying, you know, Mamtha Banji is not taking action
00:58:39against one misogynistic human being, much as I would like her to.
00:58:42The side of that is you have a Chief Minister who is spouting this kind of
00:58:46this kind of invective, hate-filled invective.
00:58:49And the Chief is not saying something about it.
00:58:51Think about it.
00:58:52Think about it.
00:58:53I mean, what do you say?
00:58:55No, I agree.
00:58:56What do you say?
00:58:57You're going to speak Bengali.
00:58:58I mean, I'm on your show.
00:59:00Otherwise, I would really like to say something that would,
00:59:02you'd have to beep out on your show.
00:59:04No, do say it.
00:59:05Beep it out.
00:59:06Mount Holyoke, you know, we would, we had a word for this, but...
00:59:09Which is?
00:59:10We'll beep it out, but...
00:59:13I wouldn't, I wouldn't spell it out.
00:59:15Oh, Lord, yeah.
00:59:16Okay.
00:59:18You know, keeping up with Mamtha Banji quite a bit,
00:59:20because I remember me and, you know, a senior journalist, Rajdeep.
00:59:23We were on ground and we were tracking her and she walked so fast
00:59:27that Rajdeep was walking next to him, her, and he passed out.
00:59:30He actually passed out because she was, you know,
00:59:33walking at the speed that she was walking.
00:59:35And it's difficult to interview her like that.
00:59:37But do you have a moment with her?
00:59:39Because I guess you...
00:59:40Speaking of walking stories, I walk very fast also,
00:59:42but it's a very funny story.
00:59:44I think this goes back to 2012, 2012.
00:59:48And this was in Tehoto, which is now part of my constituency.
00:59:54And Mamtha Di had come to Krishnanagar.
00:59:56She'd stayed the night in the circuit house
00:59:57and we were going to do a rally in Tehoto,
00:59:59which is, you know, about 45 minutes.
01:00:01Is she also as regimented as you?
01:00:03Oh my God.
01:00:04She is the queen.
01:00:05Like I will eat something once in a while.
01:00:06Didi is the most regimented person in the world.
01:00:09She walks every day on the treadmill.
01:00:12She'll work out no matter where she is and what she does.
01:00:15She will work out no matter which country in the world she is,
01:00:17which district she's in.
01:00:19She's the most regimented person.
01:00:21And in terms of food, she's so regimented.
01:00:23I mean, honestly.
01:00:24So anyway, coming back is really funny story.
01:00:26So we're going to do the meeting in Tehoto.
01:00:28So we leave from Krishnagar and we're going in the car and we drive to Tehoto.
01:00:32Now, this is a rural area.
01:00:33This is 2012.
01:00:34And there is a khorer gari, a car, a cart with hay.
01:00:40And it is overturned in the middle of the road.
01:00:43Now it is blocking the road and you can't remove it.
01:00:45So the police come and say that Didi was chief minister that, oh, this khorer gari is overturned.
01:00:50So Didi is very impatient because obviously people are waiting there at the rally and they're waiting in the sun.
01:00:54So she says, we'll walk.
01:00:56So someone says, how far is it?
01:00:58So you know how it is.
01:00:59When you ask villagers, how far is it?
01:01:01They'll say, oh, it's just here.
01:01:02And so Didi is just here.
01:01:04So she's two kilometers.
01:01:05And Didi said, all right, let's walk.
01:01:06So we all got down and started walking.
01:01:08And it was 11 kilometers.
01:01:10And I still remember we were walking and walking and walking.
01:01:14And Didi kept going.
01:01:15And, you know, brave men were flailing.
01:01:17And it was exactly that.
01:01:18And I've got a very nice photo from that.
01:01:21I had an orange bag.
01:01:22There was a photo of me with an orange bag and green sari.
01:01:25And Didi and we were walking.
01:01:26And we ended up walking 11 kilometers in the blazing sun to reach the site.
01:01:31And the place was full because they were all hearing that Mamta Di is walking and coming,
01:01:36walking and coming.
01:01:37And it was, I don't know, one of the best meetings I remember, 2012.
01:01:40But there you go.
01:01:41She got off from the car and we ended up walking 11 kilometers.
01:01:43Does she have a good sense of humor?
01:01:44She has a great sense of humor.
01:01:45She's hilarious.
01:01:46Really?
01:01:47She cracks you up?
01:01:48Yeah.
01:01:49Any other anecdote that you'd want to give?
01:01:52This is not a show about speaking about Mamta Banerjee show.
01:01:54Anything.
01:01:55Any other.
01:01:56It doesn't have to be about Mamta Banerjee.
01:01:57Tell me about yourself.
01:01:58Do you have a moment in your constituency?
01:02:00I have hilarious moments in my constituency.
01:02:03Do they get you?
01:02:04Do they get intimidated?
01:02:05No, no, no.
01:02:06This is the funniest now.
01:02:07And you do, this is the funniest.
01:02:09So after my wedding, after my wedding, the workers came and they said, Didi, second
01:02:15innings, not out.
01:02:16They said, Didi, this is your second innings.
01:02:19You better play this one, not out, which I thought was the sweetest, funniest thing
01:02:25ever.
01:02:26Oh, that is funny.
01:02:27That's hilarious.
01:02:28But the fact that you, you know, you've got a sense of humor.
01:02:31Yeah, yeah.
01:02:32The second innings, you better be not out.
01:02:33And now everyone's like, they said, We don't care what you're celebrating and where you
01:02:37went and got married, but we are celebrating and we are dancing and singing and you're going
01:02:41to throw us the biggest party ever.
01:02:43So I'm obviously going to, no matter what I can run away from, I can't run away from throwing
01:02:46the biggest party in the constituency.
01:02:48What are you going to serve?
01:02:51Even the menu they've decided.
01:02:52They've decided the menu.
01:02:53They've decided the menu of what is going to be about, and how many kilos the goat should
01:02:58be.
01:02:59It should be less than 12 kilos, less than 10 kilos.
01:03:01Right.
01:03:02Because then you, then the meat is just right.
01:03:03I could say a moment of epiphany or anything like that, where you know you've been built
01:03:06for this in your constituency, have you ever had an interaction where you remember that?
01:03:11On a daily basis.
01:03:12On a daily basis.
01:03:13On a daily basis.
01:03:14I mean, I have people, you think you're fighting in parliament and you're saying something
01:03:18and you go into your constituency and the most random, like I'm on a car and there are
01:03:24these, what is that?
01:03:25Moringa plant.
01:03:26I love the Moringa plant and they're always hanging down.
01:03:28So many often when you see a tree with Moringa hanging down, I always put the window down
01:03:32and try and get a few.
01:03:33You can come home and cook it.
01:03:35And you'll find an old guy who was just wearing a lungi, no shirt on top.
01:03:39And he says, Biti, which means daughter.
01:03:41And he says, Biti, that day what you said is the best thing you said.
01:03:45You really shut them up.
01:03:46Oh, that's nice.
01:03:47And he's sitting there in one little tea shop in the middle of nowhere watching me this
01:03:50and he'd say, Biti, what you said the other day.
01:03:52And I speak in English.
01:03:53And you would think that it doesn't reach everybody because my speeches in parliament are
01:03:57in English.
01:03:58But it's translated, they get it and he's actually adding to it.
01:04:01And he says, next time you say that.
01:04:03Are they intimidated by you with the way you dress?
01:04:05No.
01:04:06The way you look?
01:04:07No.
01:04:08You look great.
01:04:09No, I wouldn't be intimidated.
01:04:10They look lovely.
01:04:11No, no, no.
01:04:12They look lovely.
01:04:13And sometimes I say, take your glasses off.
01:04:14Show me.
01:04:15Take your glasses off.
01:04:16Dekhi toh.
01:04:17See your eyes.
01:04:18Take your glasses off.
01:04:19See your eyes.
01:04:20And when I went in this time, they said, where's your Sindhu?
01:04:22Where are your bangles?
01:04:23So I said-
01:04:24Are you the one for Sindhu?
01:04:25No, I'm not.
01:04:26So I said, where's your Sindhu?
01:04:27We came to see you and you're looking just the same.
01:04:29So they are all a bit upset that I'm looking just the same.
01:04:32All right.
01:04:33So last two questions.
01:04:35Mawa, the fact is, you're a woman.
01:04:39You say you're 50.
01:04:42You've led an unapologetic life.
01:04:45You know, those are certain cliches that have stuck with you.
01:04:47Fearless, feisty, unapologetic, you know, all of that.
01:04:49Firebrand.
01:04:50Firebrand.
01:04:51You must be getting tired of all of that.
01:04:52But it's important because a lot of women look at you.
01:04:55Right.
01:04:56And some might disagree, but there is a bit of shock and awe.
01:04:59And that shock and awe also generates a bit of inspiration.
01:05:02And in our country, we are starved of that where women are concerned.
01:05:05Yeah.
01:05:06So do you understand that messaging is very important from the likes of you?
01:05:08So what is it that you'd like to, you know, maybe say to a lot of young women who are watching this?
01:05:13You know, my message, Preeti, one thing I would like to tell the young women in this country is that you have to be true to yourself.
01:05:23Be true to yourself.
01:05:25If you are who you are, then be true to yourself.
01:05:28Do not try and be somebody else.
01:05:30Very often, all too often, it's very easy to read what is the zeitgeist of the times and try and fit ourselves to it.
01:05:37And then, you know, people think, oh, you're smart, but you're actually mirroring something that somebody's already said.
01:05:42Because if you've read To Kill a Mockingbird and if you've read A War and Peace, there's probably no reason to write a book.
01:05:50But if you if yet every author who writes a book brings something new to the table.
01:05:54So similarly, if you are trying to ape somebody else, Mamta Banerjee is Mamta Banerjee because she is Mamta Banerjee.
01:06:00She's not trying to be anybody else.
01:06:02And so when you try to be somebody else, you will lose who every human being in this world is born different.
01:06:07And it is it is important that we celebrate that difference and we bring that to the table.
01:06:13It's very important to bring that to the table.
01:06:15You talk about books.
01:06:16That's the most important thing.
01:06:17So I would tell every young woman, I understand it may be easier for me.
01:06:21Maybe I had supportive parents.
01:06:22I had a lot of privilege that a lot of people don't have.
01:06:25I had a Mount Holyoke education.
01:06:26So it's probably not so easy for women to follow the path I did.
01:06:30But even within your limited sphere, try and be true to yourself.
01:06:33You know, you talk about books and there's also Margaret Atwood.
01:06:36And I think one one line which has always stuck with me is that if you didn't want to create an army,
01:06:41you shouldn't have given us uniforms where she was talking about women in general.
01:06:44Do you think women in India watch out for each other?
01:06:47You're in Parliament. You have 74 women.
01:06:49Women, like I said, women, we look out for each other.
01:06:55But women also, when it comes to, can also be quite calculating when it comes to, would you disagree?
01:07:05I'm not at all.
01:07:06Yeah.
01:07:07So, you know, women also can be quite calculating like any other human being as to what's best for them.
01:07:12Because we were always taught to compete.
01:07:13Yeah.
01:07:14And you're taught to compete and you're taught to survive.
01:07:16So, if you've got, do I stick my neck out for another woman because she's a woman?
01:07:20Or do I sort of, you know, follow what I need to do to get ahead in life?
01:07:25Then most people choose what it is to dress.
01:07:27And that's the way the world is.
01:07:29Is it changing?
01:07:30No, I think that's true the world over.
01:07:33That's true the world over.
01:07:34It's not just true of women in politics.
01:07:36It's true of women in corporates.
01:07:38It's true of women in anything.
01:07:39Is that changing?
01:07:40Do you see that cycle turning now?
01:07:41You see more women come up and support each other?
01:07:44Or do you think it's just the same?
01:07:46No, I think people are getting more vocal.
01:07:48People are getting more vocal.
01:07:50And you saw, I mean, I've seen a few cases.
01:07:52If you see the Priya Ramani case.
01:07:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:07:56And if you see that, you see a lot of cases, like you saw for Bilkis Bhano, for example.
01:08:01So, Ashni Ali and I filed to put her rapist back in jail.
01:08:04And you'd be surprised at how many women came up and said, we're so glad you're doing that.
01:08:09So, I do see that.
01:08:10So, sometimes women in India, I think, are shackled, for lack of a better word, to come out and express themselves as freely as they would like.
01:08:19But they are feeling it.
01:08:20And when they meet you, for example, they do express that.
01:08:24So, the first step is to feel it.
01:08:26The second step is to express it.
01:08:28So, I think we're more and more feeling, more women are feeling it.
01:08:31All right.
01:08:32Last two questions.
01:08:33What's a date night like?
01:08:34What's a date night like?
01:08:36Dress up.
01:08:37Very important.
01:08:38Dress up.
01:08:39And...
01:08:40What's dress up?
01:08:42Dress up is, I don't know, wear a nice sari, wear a nice dress, wear high heels.
01:08:48Very important.
01:08:49Lots of lipstick.
01:08:51Angel perfume.
01:08:52Bobby Brown?
01:08:53Angel perfume.
01:08:54Angel perfume.
01:08:55And...
01:08:56Yeah.
01:08:57Date night is, if you're in Delhi, then maybe San Gimiano, the Imperial, which is nice for Italian.
01:09:05And...
01:09:06Yeah.
01:09:07So, and then, very important, listening to lovely Hindi songs in the car.
01:09:13Sometimes they go round and round these roads, listening to songs.
01:09:16Oh, that's clear.
01:09:17And if you're in the middle of a song and you've reached home, we'll say, okay, let's take one more chuckle till the song finishes.
01:09:22Do you guys drive on your own?
01:09:24Yeah.
01:09:25Yeah, of course.
01:09:26Yeah.
01:09:27All right.
01:09:28So, what's on Mahua Moitra's to-do list?
01:09:30To-do list right now is...
01:09:33Are you talking big picture?
01:09:35Are you talking micro?
01:09:36Give me both.
01:09:37Give me both.
01:09:38But to-do list for tonight is...
01:09:39I'm actually going to try out this new recipe for lamb mince burgers.
01:09:42Okay.
01:09:43With cheese in the middle.
01:09:44So that's on the to-do list right after I finish this interview.
01:09:47And larger, larger picture is be part of the movement that gets this government out of power.
01:09:57All right.
01:09:58Well, I let it be a bet.
01:10:00So, Kima at home and hopefully, Kima of the BJP.
01:10:03So, what flower do you like?
01:10:04Are you a flower kind of like-
01:10:06Like a flower as in pool?
01:10:07Pool.
01:10:08Are you a girl or a woman who likes flowers?
01:10:10Yeah.
01:10:11Yeah?
01:10:12Do you have a favorite?
01:10:13I like lilies.
01:10:14I like lilies.
01:10:15I like flowers.
01:10:16Do you like presents?
01:10:17I like presents.
01:10:18You like-
01:10:19Everybody likes presents.
01:10:20I like presents.
01:10:21I like presents.
01:10:22And in fact, I like presents so much, I always open them when I get them.
01:10:25Well, that's-
01:10:26We're going to let it be.
01:10:27I appreciate you taking the time out.
01:10:29Thank you very much.
01:10:30I wish you, you know, in all the cliches, more power because-
01:10:31Thank you, Priti.
01:10:32You know, that's a word that's been often associated with you.
01:10:34Thank you very much.
01:10:35Thank you for speaking with us.
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