New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Friday expelled Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for “unethical conduct” and “contempt of the House” over the ‘cash-for-query’ charges brought against her.
The decision was taken in a voice vote, but the Opposition boycotted the voting after Speaker Om Birla refused to allow Moitra to speak in her defence. The Opposition, which came together in a rare show of unity in the TMC MP’s defence, urged Birla to allow her to speak.
After the voice vote, Birla said, “This House accepts the conclusions of the committee, that MP Mahua Moitra’s conduct was immoral and indecent. So, it is not appropriate for her to continue as an MP…”
Moitra’s expulsion was recommended by the Lok Sabha Committee on Ethics, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar. She was accused of sharing her user ID and password to the Lok Sabha Members Portal with an “unauthorised person” — which, the panel said, amounted to a breach of national security.
Moitra was also accused of accepting cash and expensive gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in order to ask questions in Parliament.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who was the complainant in the case, based his charges on “irrefutable evidence” shared by city advocate Jain Anant Dehadrai, who had a relationship with Moitra before they fell out.
In its report, the parliamentary panel recommended an investigation by the central government into the “cash-for-query” charges.
“The money trail of cash transactions between Smt. Mahua Moitra and Shri Darshan Hiranandani as a part of quid pro quo should be investigated by the Government of India in a legal, institutional, and time-bound manner,” the report said.
Dubey in mid-October wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that the Krishnanagar MP had accepted favours from Hirandani for asking questions that targeted billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani. Birla subsequently referred the matter to the ethics panel.
This was the second expulsion after 2005, when 10 MPs were sacked from the House for unethical conduct. In 2005, an inquiry committee constituted by the then Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had held the 10 MPs guilty of accepting money for tabling questions and raising other matters in the House, and recommended their expulsion.
A motion was moved by then Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, which was adopted, leading to the expulsion of the MPs from the 14th Lok Sabha.
There were marked protests from opposition benches Friday morning when the ethics committee report was tabled, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House twice.
When it reconvened in the afternoon, the Speaker allowed a 30 minutes discussion on the report before putting it to vote.
‘Mahua Moitra not allowed to defend herself’
The discussion on the report saw opposition MPs coming together in defence of Moitra. They were unanimous in their demand that Om Birla allow Moitra the opportunity to speak and present her side.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdury said, “Natural justice demands that the person against whom there is a complaint should be allowed to defend. This is a new Parliament, let’s not start with such disgraceful acts.”
The Congress’s Manish Tewari questioned if the procedure of the Ethics Committee overrode the fundamental principle of natural justice. He also questioned the stand taken by some parties, including the BJP, to issue a whip to its members to be present in the House Friday. “Today this House is sitting as a judge and a jury. Can a party direct its members to vote in a particular way. This is a complete travesty of justice,” he said.
The Congress leader also cited Article 105 of the Constitution that gives immunity to MPs from any “proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee”.
Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan Banerjee said that a “fair trial” could only happen when an affected person is allowed to speak. He also questioned why the Ethics Committee did not call the Dubai businessman to depose before it.
Members also protested the short time given to them to discuss the report after it had been tabled. The TMC and Congress had asked for four days to study it before participating in a discussion.
However, after allowing only 30 minutes for the discussion, Birla put the motion to vote. The motion was adapted by voice vote, with Opposition parties walking out.
MPs Heena Gavit and Aparajita Sarangi spoke from the treasury benches. Sarangi said the issue involved parliamentary dignity and Constitutional process. “Members have a big responsibility and when we default, questions will be raised… Can we put our hand on heart and say what Mahua Moitra did was correct,” Sarangi, who is a member of the Ethics Committee, asked.
Sarangi also said the panel sat thrice and Moitra was given the opportunity to be heard but she was rude in her conduct at that time. Moitra had walked out of the meeting, alleging that she had been asked “filthy questions” by the panel.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Opposition leaders question LS ethics panel report recommending expulsion of TMC’s Mahua Moitra