Mahua Moitra Expelled from Lok Sabha, Exposed

| | New Delhi
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Mahua Moitra Expelled from Lok Sabha, Exposed

Saturday, 09 December 2023 | Deepak Kumar Jha | New Delhi

Mahua Moitra Expelled from Lok Sabha, Exposed

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled on Friday from the Lok Sabha after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest.

After a heated debate over the panel report during which Moitra was not allowed to speak, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to expel the TMC member for "unethical conduct", which was adopted by a voice vote and the House was adjourned immediately.

The Ethics Committee report found Moitra guilty of 'unethical conduct' and contempt of the House for sharing her Lok Sabha credentials, including the user ID and password of the Lok Sabha Member's portal, with unauthorised persons. This had an irrepressible impact on national security.

Moitra received backing of her party as well members of the INDIA Bloc of Opposition parties on the action without giving her a chance to defend herself in Parliament. 

TMC supremo West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee denounced the expulsion of her MP from the Lok Sabha and termed the move as a "betrayal" of India's parliamentary democracy. Mamata expressed her disappointment as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not intervene in the matter.

The motion moved by Joshi said Moitra's "conduct has further been found to be unbecoming as a Member of Parliament for accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest which is a serious misdemeanour and highly deplorable conduct" on her part. Joshi urged the House to accept the recommendation and finding of the committee and "resolve that continuance of Moitra as member of Lok Sabha is untenable and she may be expelled from the membership of the Lok Sabha".

Ethics Committee chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar tabled the first report of the Committee on the complaint filed by BJP member Nishikant Dubey against Moitra.

Reacting sharply to her expulsion, Moitra equated the action with hanging by a "kangaroo court" and alleged a parliamentary panel was being weaponised by the Government to force the Opposition into submission. She told reporters outside Parliament that she has been found guilty of breaching a code of ethics that does not exist and that there was no evidence of cash or gift given to her. “We are ready for Mahabharat in Parliament,” Moitra said in an obvious reference to the Draupadi episode in the epic.

As soon as the House met after adjournments again at 2 pm, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion for discussion on the panel report. Speaker Om Birla said if some strict decisions have to be taken against any member, they have to be taken to uphold the dignity of the House.

He said it was painful that at times the House has to take up such matters. But, he said, it is because the dignity of the institution has to be maintained at any cost. Birla said it was the collective duty of the House to take steps to ensure the prestige of the institution remains unblemished.

He said the House will discuss the report for half-an-hour but Opposition members insisted that more time be given.  Trinamool Congress and other Opposition members demanded that Moitra be allowed to put her views in the House, which was turned down by the Speaker citing past precedence.

Birla observed that in 2005, the then Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had in a directive disallowed 10 Lok Sabha members, who were involved in a 'cash for questions' scam, to speak in the House. Joshi said in 2005 the then Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had moved a motion to expel 10 members on the same day the report was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

INDIA Bloc leaders accused the BJP-led Government of doing "vendetta politics". Mamata Banerjee extended gratitude to the INDIA alliance leaders for supporting Moitra, stating, "I commend the INDIA alliance for standing united and resisting the BJP."

Janata Dal (United) MP Giridhari Yadav who is also member in the Ethics Committee took a jibe at the ruling dispensation and questioned why Nishikant was called for questioning while businessman Darshan Hiranandani was not. He reminded the House he does not upload questions on the Lok Sabha's website himself as he does not know how to operate a computer.

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