Mahua Moitra is a Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP from Bengal's Krishnanagar (File).
UPDATE | Mahua Moitra Expelled From Parliament Over Cash-For-Query Row
Parliament on Friday launched into a heated discussion on a motion to expel Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. This follows the tabling of an Ethics Committee report into 'cash-for-query' charges against Ms Moitra that held "allegations of accepting illegal gratification (are) clearly established and are undeniable", and called her conduct "unethical and unbecoming of a Member of Parliament".
The report has triggered another chapter in the ongoing explosive stand-off between the ruling BJP and the opposition. The ruckus that followed - opposition MPs shouted slogans against the government and those from Ms Moitra's party approached the Well - led to the Lok Sabha being adjourned till 2 pm.
Once proceedings resumed, Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Manish Tewari asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for time to study the report. "... heavens would not have fallen had we (been) given three-four days to take cognisance of this report... this is a very sensitive issue," Mr Tiwari said.
READ | Mahua Moitra Denied Permission To Speak During Discussion On Ethics Report
Mr Tewari also red-flagged what he said were procedural failures of the Ethics Committee."
"Can the procedure of the Ethics Committee override the fundamental principle of natural justice, which is the organising principle of every justice system in the world? From what we read in the newspapers, the accused... was not able to complete her deposition. What kind of procedure is this?"
Mahua Moitra can only be expelled if the House votes in favour of the committee's report, which declared it found her actions "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal".
READ | "Serious Misdemeanours Call For...": What Ethics Report On Mahua Moitra Says
Earlier today, a confident, and typically fierce Ms Moitra strode into Parliament, pausing only to tell reporters, "Maa Durga aa gayi hai, ab dekhenge...Jab naash manuj par chhata hai, pehle vivek mar jaata hai (Maa Durga has come! Now we will see.. when destruction comes, conscience dies first)."
"They have started 'vastraharan' and now you will watch 'Mahabharat ka rann (battlefield)'."
The BJP, though, is well-prepped. The party issued a three-line whip (the strictest possible) to its MPs last evening; a three-line whip means MPs must be present and vote in line with the party's position.
The report was to have been tabled on Monday, the opening day of this session of Parliament.
The opposition has demanded a detailed discussion on the report.
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali, one of the members of the Ethics Committee, told reporters Thursday, "If the report is tabled, we will insist on a full-fledged discussion... the draft was adopted in two-and-a-half minutes", referring to opposition claims the BJP-led committee rushed the report.
READ | "Over In Minutes": Danish Ali On Mahua Moitra Report, Committee Head Says...
Mahua Moitra, 49, is accused of taking bribes, including Rs 2 crore in cash, to ask questions critical of the Narendra Modi government. She has flatly denied the charges. Ms Moitra was also accused of surrendering her parliamentary log-in credentials to businessman Darshan Hiranandani, who allegedly paid her the bribe, so he could directly submit questions ahead of Parliament's Question Hour.
Ms Moitra later admitted to the latter charge but argued this was common practice among MPs.
The charges against the Bengal leader provoked furious protests by the BJP, for whom MP Nishikant Dubey led calls she be investigated. Mr Dubey had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to begin an inquiry. The Ethics Committee hearings concluded early last month in a 6:4 decision to expel.
READ | Ethics Panel Approves Mahua Moitra's Expulsion In 6:4 Verdict
There was controversy over the hearings too, after Ms Moitra walked out of one on November 2 claiming "filthy questions" had been asked of her and her relationship to Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who filed a second complaint with the CBI; that investigation began two weeks ago.
READ | CBI Begins Probe In Cash-For-Query Case Against Mahua Moitra
The committee and Chairperson Vinod Sonkar, however, said Ms Moitra had not co-operated during cross-examination and walked out, staging a dramatic exit, to avoid facing tough questions.
Eventually, a 500-page report was cleared with six members, including Congress MP Preneet Kaur voting to expel Mahua Moitra. Ms Kaur had earlier been suspended for "anti-party activities".
READ | Suspended Congress MP Preneet Kaur's Vote Decisive At Ethics Panel Meet
Several opposition MPs, including those on the Ethics Committee, have spoken out in favour of their colleague. They have declared the report a "fixed match" and claimed the BJP has no evidence to support its charges. Ms Moitra's party, which remained silent in the initial stages of the inquiry, arguing it would wait for the report to be submitted before reacting, has since defended its member.
READ | "It Will Help Her...": Mamata Banerjee Breaks Silence On Mahua Moitra Row
Trinamool boss and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of having "planned" the expulsion of Ms Moitra - who is one of the ruling party's fiercest and most vocal critics. "... but this will help her before the election," Ms Banerjee said. The 2024 Lok Sabha election is just months away.
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