Ethics panel adopted 500-page report against Mahua Moitra without discussion, says BSP MP

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Thursday adopted its report on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra within 2.5 minutes without holding any discussion, Bahujan Samaj Party MP Kunwar Danish Ali alleged, reported ANI.

The panel was looking into complaints by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who have accused Moitra of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament.

In its 500-page draft report, the panel has recommended Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha, NDTV reported. The MP’s actions are “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal”, the panel reportedly said.

This is the first time that the Lok Sabha ethics committee has recommended the expulsion of a Parliament member, the Lower House’s former secretary general PDT Achary told The Times of India. The expulsion of 11 MPs from Parliament in 2005 in another cash-for-query case was recommended by the Rajya Sabha Ethics Committee and a Lok Sabha Inquiry Committee.

On Thursday, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Danish Ali, Congress’ V Vaithilingam, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP PR Natarajan and Janata Dal (United)’s Giridhari Yadav submitted their dissent notes against the report.

Ali flagged “procedural errors” in formulating the report. “Such a big report but there was no discussion,” the BSP leader told news agency ANI. “Is this the way to do things? Starting from day one, we have raised objections on the procedure being followed.”

The Opposition MP also said that the report does not mention anything about how the panel chairperson asked allegedly “filthy” and indecent questions to Moitra during a meeting on November 2.

A day after the first meeting of the panel, Moitra had said that committee chairperson Vinod Sonkar, a BJP MP, had asked her personal questions that were not relevant to the investigation. Moitra alleged that the panel asked her which hotels she had stayed in and with whom, during her deposition.

On Thursday, Ali said that the Opposition fulfilled its duty by submitting dissent notes.

The panel report also reprimanded Ali for violating Rule 275 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha pertaining to the confidentiality of proceedings of Parliamentary committees, reported The Indian Express. Ali was one of the Opposition MPs who had objected to Sonkar’s line of questioning at the meeting on November 2.

The panel objected to him allegedly divulging details of the panel meeting to the media.

“Lok Sabha members are bound by rules,” Ali told ANI. “This is done by the BJP members, they have given interviews to the press on November 2 and 3 and it is on record. But there Rule 275 is not applied it will only apply to Danish Ali and members of the Opposition.”

The Opposition MP also said that the swift way in which ethics panel adopted the resolution to suspend Moitra stands in stark contrast to how his complaint against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri remains pending before the Lok Sabha privileges committee.

“On one hand, there has been no discussion or action on how Ramesh Bidhuri shamed democracy in Parliament in September,” Ali told ANI. “On the other hand, quick action is being taken against an MP who is raising questions on one industrialist.”

During a debate in Parliament on the success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission on September 21, Bidhuri had called Ali “mullah terrorist”, “pimp” and “katwa”, a slur used for circumcised Muslims.

Several Opposition parties sought action against the BJP MP from South Delhi, saying that his remarks amount to hate speech.

The parties demanded that Bidhuri must be suspended from Parliament till the privileges committee completes its investigations.

However, in October, Bidhuri had skipped the meeting of the privileges committee investigating his communal tirade as he was busy campaigning for elections in Rajasthan.