Lok Sabha Ethics Committee to Review Cash-for-Query Allegations Against MP Mahua Moitra
The Lok Sabha ethics committee, led by BJP's Vinod Kumar Sonkar, will meet to deliberate on allegations of cash for queries against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra. The panel may recommend severe action, potentially disqualification, echoing a similar case from 2005.
The ethics committee of the Lok Sabha, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinod Kumar Sonkar, is set to meet on Tuesday to deliberate on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, just two weeks after initiating the probe. There's a possibility that the panel may recommend severe action against Moitra, including her disqualification for the remaining term of the current Lok Sabha. This situation echoes a similar case in 2005, where 11 MPs suspected of accepting money for asking questions were disqualified by the Supreme Court in 2007.
The complaint against Mahua Moitra, dated October 15, 2023, alleges her direct involvement in the cash-for-query issue in Parliament. Moitra continues to criticize the BJP, even in the face of these allegations, highlighting the transcripts of her proceedings in the Ethics Committee.
Dr. Nishikant Dubey, the primary complainant, has accused Moitra of threatening Vinod Sonkar, the Chairman of the Ethics Committee and a Scheduled Caste MP. He questions whether such behavior is reflective of Bengal's culture.
Moitra, on the other hand, accuses the BJP of planning criminal cases against her, while she demands investigations into the Adani coal scam.
During her deposition before the panel on November 2, Moitra walked out with opposition members, alleging bias and unethical behavior by Sonkar. She later wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, describing her experience as "disrobing."
Sonkar contends that the panel's questions were legitimate and related to Darshan Hiranandani's affidavit, which alleged he gave expensive gifts to Moitra and posted questions in Parliament on her behalf.
The purpose of the probe was to investigate the allegations of Mahua Moitra's unethical conduct. However, her angry response and use of unparliamentary language during the proceedings led to disruptions within the committee.
On October 26, the panel had summoned both Dubey and Moitra's estranged friend, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, to provide testimony. Dubey's complaint was based on documents supplied by Dehadrai.
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