Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra penned a scathing letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday, decrying what she called a "complete breakdown of due process and Lok Sabha's regulations." Her protest stemmed from reports about the media's access to the draft report of the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha pertaining to the cash-for-query scandal. In her letter, Moitra also accused the Speaker of "apathy and a lack of response to my previous grievances."
Moitra's correspondence underscored the pressing need to address the apparent disintegration of parliamentary norms within the Lok Sabha and to ensure the enforcement of established rules. She expressed disappointment with the Speaker's unresponsiveness to her earlier complaints.
The media had reported on Wednesday that the panel was contemplating recommending Moitra's expulsion from Lok Sabha. The alleged reason behind this move was her purported sharing of login credentials for Parliament's official portal with businessman Darshan Hiranandani, an act considered unethical.
In her letter, Moitra highlighted that a channel owned by the Adani Group had access to the draft report, which she considered a "grave violation of Rule 275(2) as specified in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha."
"What adds to the astonishment is that this media channel is predominantly owned by the Adani Group, against whom I have raised substantial concerns regarding corporate fraud and violations of financial and securities regulations within Lok Sabha," she added.
Moitra asserted that she was being targeted for her outspoken stance against the conglomerate and found it deeply disturbing that a channel affiliated with this group had access to a confidential Committee report, which forms the basis of the allegations against her, branding it an "egregious breach" of the rules.
The allegations against Moitra involve the sharing of her login credentials with the businessman, who, as alleged, posted questions related to the conglomerate independently. Moitra contended that she had shared the credentials to have his staff type out her questions and vehemently denied the allegations of accepting bribes from the businessman.
Mahua Moitra had appeared before the panel on November 2 but left abruptly, claiming that the panel's chairperson, BJP leader Vinod Sonkar, had posed unethical and personal questions. Sonkar, in turn, asserted that she had used unparliamentary language against him and the panel.
Referring to Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey's assertion that Lokpal had recommended a CBI probe against her, Moitra commented on Wednesday, saying that the body had been "spurred into action by specially bred pit bulls."
"Lok Pal Abhi Zinda Hai (Lokpal is still alive).. Very happy to know Modiji’s Lok Pal exists - & been spurred into action by specially bred pit bulls," she wrote in a series of posts on social media.
