In 6:4 Verdict, Ethics Committee of Parliament Adopts Report on Mahua Moitra in 'Cash for Questions' Matter

IANS 09 November 2023

Economy & Nation

The ethics committee of the Parliament on Thursday adopted the draft report against Trinamool Congress MP (member of Parliament) Mahua Moitra in connection with the charges of alleged 'cash for Parliament questions' matter. The draft will be submitted to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla along with the panel's recommendations.

Speaking to the media after the meeting on Thursday afternoon here, Vinod Sonkar, chairman of the ethics committee said: "The Ethics Committee probing the charges against Mahua Moitra was adopted today. It was supported by six members while four opposed it."

Mr Sonkar said that a detailed report is being sent to the Lok Sabha speaker and the details of the fact finding have been mentioned in that.

He said that the draft report is being sent to the speaker with the committee's recommendation to the speaker.

Mr Sonkar, however, refused to share the details of the recommendations.

"We have adopted the draft report, and we will submit it with the Speaker tomorrow. He will take the action," he said, adding that the committee members on the allegations of BJP Nishikant Dubey, affidavit of businessman Darshan Hiranandani and statement of advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai prepared a detailed report.

He said that it is a 500-page report. Besides Mr Sonkar, the committee includes: BJP's Vishnu Datt Sharma, Sumedhanand Saraswati, Aparajita Sarangi, Rajdeep Roy, Sunita Duggal, and Subhash Bhamre, Ve Vaithilingam, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Preneet Kaur of the Congress, Balashowry Vallabbhaneni (YSRCP), Hemant Godse (Shiv Sena), Giridhari Yadav (JD-U), PR Natarajan (CPI-M), and Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP).

According to sources, Mr Sonkar, Mr Saraswati, Ms Sarangi, Mr Godse, Ms Kaur and Mr Roy voted in favour while Mr Ali, Mr Yadav, Mr Vaithilingam and Mr Natrajan opposed the draft report.

On 2nd November, Ms Moitra, along with the Opposition MPs of the committee stormed out of the meeting accusing the committee's chairperson Mr Sonkar of asking her personal and unethical questions.

On Tuesday, she took a swipe at the Parliament's ethics committee for postponing the meeting to 9th November to clash with Congress MPs nomination date saying BJP calling allies to ensure attendance to adopt via majority.

She also wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on 2nd November alleging that she was subjected to the "proverbial vastraharan" by the chairperson of the ethics committee during a hearing on the cash-for-query allegations against her.

The ethics committee is probing BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's allegations that Mr Moitra accepted cash and favours for asking questions in Lok Sabha at the behest of businessman Hiranandani.

On 26th October, Mr Dubey and advocate Dehadrai gave 'oral evidence' to the panel against Moitra. On Wednesday, meanwhile, Mr Dubey said that Lokpal on his complaint has ordered a CBI (central bureau of investigation) inquiry against Ms Moitra, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar in West Bengal.

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Comments

User

david.rasquinha

1 year ago

A hurried decision by a kangaroo court that placed all credence in one side and zero in the other. An absolute farce just to get rid of MM by hook or by crook.

deepak.narain1

1 year ago

It's is all dirty politics, my friend. Opposite will happen when BJP will be voted out in 2024. Vote for Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal.