‘Who’s Pappu now?’: TMC MP Mahua Moitra accuses PM Modi of ‘falsehood’ in fiery Lok Sabha speech

Just hours after the Lok Sabha session was adjourned due to ruckus over the India-China clash in the Tawang sector, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra slammed Centre during the Parliament debate posing a now-viral question – “Who’s Pappu now?”

Mahua Moitra, who is known for her firebrand speeches in the Parliament, took potshots at the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the industrial output, among other issues, accusing the Centre of not handling the economy well.

Participating in a debate in Lok Sabha on demands for additional grants for 2022-23, Moitra accused the Narendra Modi government of spreading "falsehood" about India's growth and appealed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take control of the economy, which, according to the TMC leader, is going downhill.

"Seventeen of the industry sectors that make up the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) have recorded negative growth. Forex reserves have fallen by 72 billion dollars in under a year," she said.

The manufacturing sector's output declined by 5.6 percent in October 2022 as against a growth of 3.3 percent recorded in the year-ago month, according to the IIP data released by the NSO.

"This government and the ruling party coined the term Pappu. You use it to denigrate and signify extreme incompetence. But the statistics tell us who the actual Pappu is," Moitra said, as per PTI reports.

Further, Mahua Moitra also took a dig at the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) for losing the elections in their home state of Himachal Pradesh, despite all the exit polls predicting otherwise. It must be noted that Himachal Pradesh is the home state of BJP chief JP Nadda.

The TMC member alleged that there is an "atmosphere of terror" in the country today with the "sword" of the Enforcement Directorate hanging over "businessmen and high-net-worth individuals" as well as leaders of opposition parties.

(With PTI inputs)

READ | Revealed: What led to India-China border skirmish in Arunachal's Tawang? Did PLA soldiers cross over to Indian side?