Trinamool Congress’s member and Member of Parliament from Krishnanagar, Mahua Moitra filed a criminal defamation case against Zee News Anchor and Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary at a city court today. Moitra filed the defamation case against Chaudhary as he alleged that speech that she made in the parliament on June 25 ‘Seven Signs of Fascism’ was plagiarised.
Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa took cognizance of the matter and has listed it to be heard on July 20. Advocate Shadaan Farasat who appeared for Moitra today claimed that her speech was inspired by a Holocaust poster in a United States museum. The poster contains a total of 14 signs of early fascism while Moitra in her speech only listed seven.
“...it is a widely popular poster...she takes (seven) signs (of early fascism) and applies them to India’,” it was argued, Bar And Bench reported. Farasat added that Moitra “clearly attributed” the original source even when she made the speech in the parliament. However, Chaudhary ran a report claiming that Mahua Moitra had plagiarised her “hate-filled speech” delivered in Parliament. He added that she copy-pasted the views originally written by Martin Longman in reference to US President Donald Trump in an article.
Earlier to this, Moitra had submitted a breach of privilege motion against Chaudhary but Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla rejected it.
In her viral speech that garnered support from across the country, Moitra spoke of key points affecting the nations integrity—nationalism, disdain, control of mass media and subjugation, obsession with national security, suppression of dissent, government and religion getting intertwined and erosion of independence in electoral system.
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The Krishnanagar MP said in her maiden speech, that she “humbly accepts the mandate” in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), adding “dissent is all the more important” today. “It is the very nature of the overwhelmingness of this mandate, of the totality of this mandate, that makes it necessary for us to be heard today, for the voice of dissent to be heard today,” she said.
“Plagiarism is when one does not disclose one’s source. My source as mentioned categorically in my speech was the poster from the Holocaust Museum created by the political scientist Dr. Laurence W. Brit pointing out the 14 signs of early fascism.”
American Analyst Martin Longman, who Chaudhary was talking about in his show claiming that Moitra had copy-pasted his speech, has also dismissed his claims saying, “I'm internet famous in India because a politician is being falsely accused of plagiarising me. It's kind of funny, but right-wing as***les seem to be similar in every country,” Longman tweeted from his account after controversy erupted.
He also tweeted, “She (Moitra) did not steal or plagiarised anything,” as a response to a question raised to him.
She also clarified in a statement, “Plagiarism is when one does not disclose one’s source. My source as mentioned categorically in my speech was the poster from the Holocaust Museum created by the political scientist Dr. Laurence W. Brit pointing out the 14 signs of early fascism.”
Picture credit- DNA India
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