Cash-for-query case: Lok Sabha's Ethics panel report recommends Mahua Moitra's expulsion as MP

The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha on Friday submitted its report on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in Lok Sabha recommending her expulsion. BJP MP Vijay Sonkar, who headed the panel of inquiry, tabled the report. Soon after the tabling of the controversial report, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for two hours amid ruckus in the Lok Sabha. 

The proceedings will resume at 2 PM. If the Ethics Committee report is adopted by the Lok Sabha, then TMC MP Mahua Moitra will be disqualified from the Lok Sabha and won't b able to contest for the upcoming General Elections in 2024. But this would only happen after Opposition parties MP, including Moitra, debate the report. Later, a motion will be passed in the house depending on the outcome. 

The panel has based its recommendation for Moitra's expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the charge that she asked businessman Darshan Hiranandani's questions using her parliamentary portal in exchange for bribes.

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

"In view of the highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct of Smt. Mahua Moitra, the Committee recommend for an intense, legal, institutional inquiry by the Government of India in a time-bound manner."

The report said that in 2019, Moitra received a detailed dossier on M/s Adani Group, which was sent by Hiranandani's personal assistant. Following this, Hiranandani called Moitra and asked her to "bring down Adani no matter what". 

"Shri Hiranandani seemed extremely agitated to the point of irritation, at the loss of a large energy-related contract in Bengal, with a French energy corporation to the Adani Group. He specifically instructed Moitra to target the M/s Adani Group to "the point of embarrassment" so that he could pressure the Government into restoring contracts back to himself," the report said.

It further said that the much-publicised Hindenburg Report, which was tabled in Januray 2023, contained direct references from the complaints filed by Smt. Moitra against M/s Adani Group".

Moitra left Parliament for lunch after the Ethics Committee report on her was tabled in Lok Sabha. Before leaving Parliament, Moitra said: "We haven't received it yet. Let me have my lunch and come back. Whatever has to happen, will happen after 2 pm."

Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee demanded a discussion on the report before its recommendations are put to vote, which would lead to the expulsion of Moitra from the House.

TMC MP Nussrat Jahan said: “It is not about how I see it, I think all of us are seeing it the way it is supposed to be seen. Has it actually been fairly conducted? We don’t know. Because this government hasn’t been really fair when it comes to women. We have asked for a hard copy of the report. Our leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay has asked for it. After studying the report, we can come to a conclusion and when the discussion happens, we have all requested that Mahua must be given an opportunity to speak for herself and say whatever she feels because she is the most affected in this case.”

Various opposition members have insisted that there should be a discussion on the recommendations before a decision is taken on Moitra's explusion. Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury wrote a letter to the Speaker over the “cash-for-query” charge and said that it is “an extremely serious punishment and has very wide ramifications”.

The kind of questions that were asked of her were such that five members of the committee walked out. After that walkout, the adoption report was put forth and it was adopted within 2.30 minutes. Having a majority doesn't mean that you will do whatever you want...," he added.