On first day of Parliament Winter Session, ethics panel to table report on Mahua Moitra’s expulsion

On the first of the Winter Session of Parliament on Monday, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee will table its report recommending the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the alleged cash-for-query case, PTI reported.

Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, reportedly Moitra’s estranged partner, have accused her of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament.

“The questions were also often focused on the Adani Group, another business conglomerate, Hiranandani Group, was bidding for business against,” the BJP MP claimed.

On November 25, the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a preliminary enquiry into allegations of corruption against Moitra.

At a meeting on November 9, the ethics panel adopted its report recommending Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the allegations. The committee called Moitra’s actions “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal”.

Six panel members, including Congress MP Preneet Kaur, supported the report while four Opposition leaders submitted their dissent notes against it.

Moitra can be expelled only if the House votes in favour of the panel’s recommendation.

In October, the Trinamool Congress leader had clarified in an interview that she gave Hiranandani access to her online Lok Sabha account but denied taking any bribes from him. She had claimed that MPs do not type their own questions and that the queries can only be submitted upon entering a one-time password, which is delivered to the phone number of the legislators.

Don’t vent your frustration inside Parliament, PM to Opposition

The BJP will seek to corner the Congress-led Opposition during the Winter Session of Parliament after winning three of the four key Assembly elections. In the three Hindi belt states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the Congress has been crushed by the BJP.

While addressing the media ahead of the session on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Opposition “not to vent the frustration of defeat” in Parliament.

“They should learn from this defeat, leaving behind the habit of negativity of the last nine years, if they move forward with positivity this session, the country will change its views towards them,” he added.

The Centre plans to introduce seven bills during the session. In addition, Parliament will also discuss 12 out of 37 pending bills for consideration and passing.

This will be the last “full-fledged” Parliamentary session of the 17th Lok Sabha before the 2024 general elections. The Budget Session of Parliament will be held in February.