Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra expelled from Lok Sabha

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha on Friday after the Ethics Committee was tabled in the Lower House for discussion. Moitra was accused of having accepted cash from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in lieu of raising questions on Gautam Adani in the Parliament. 

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha on Friday after the Ethics Committee was tabled in the Lower House for discussion. Moitra was accused of having accepted cash from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in lieu of raising questions on Gautam Adani in the Parliament. 

Following her expulsion, Moitra spoke to the media outside the Parliament. The TMC leader said, "The Ethics Committee has no power to expel....This is the beginning of your (BJP) end."

She further added, "If this Modi government thought that by shutting me up they could do away with the Adani issue, let me tell you this kangaroo court has only shown to all of India that the haste and the abuse of due process you have used demonstrates how important Adani is to you. And to what length you will go to harass a single woman MP into shutting her into submission."

After Lok Sabha adopted the resolution of expelling Mahua Moitra, the Opposition leaders staged a walkout. The MPs were demanding Moitra be given a chance to speak in Lok Sabha, however, the LS Speaker Om Biral denying their demand said, "I have a copy of the traditions that were followed earlier. Former Speakers Somnath Chatterjee and Pranab Mukherjee were here earlier...The rules and traditions that they gave are considered our rules. Somnath Chatterjee had said that the Members against whom there are accusations are given ample time to speak before the Committee...This House has the tradition that the traditions followed by the previous Speakers are always further followed by the next Speakers."

Ethics Committee Report on Mahua Moitra's alleged 'unethical conduct'

According to the reports, the Ethics Commiittee, probing the 'cash for query' accusations levelled against Moitra tabled their report before Lok Sabha on Tuesday recommending her expulsion from the Lower House and said that an "intense, legal, institutional inquiry" should be conducted by the union government in a time-bound manner. 

According to ANI, the report read, "The serious misdemeanours on the part of Mahua Moitra calls for severe punishment. The Committee, therefore, recommend that Mahua Moitra, MP may be expelled from the Membership of the Seventeenth Lok Sabha."

The report further read, "Given the highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct of Mahua Moitra, the Committee recommends for an intense, legal, institutional inquiry by the Government of India in a time-bound manner."

The panel reportedly also suggested a probe be conducted into the alleged money trail of cash transactions between Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani. 

Mahua Moitra's appearance before the committee

The TMC leader had appeared before the committee on November 2 over the cash-for-query allegations against her but she, along with Opposition members of the panel walked out owing to the line of questioning. The opposition members, part of the committee, said that the questions posed to Moitra were very personal.

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