Report recommending Mahua Moitra’s expulsion adopted with support of 6 MPs; Opposition says there was no discussion

As the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee adopted the 500-page report on Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra recommending her expulsion from the lower house of Parliament with the support of six members, JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav, a member of the panel, said there was no discussion on the report among the members.

“This is a gross violation of the rules. You have only cross-questioned. After that, you should have held a meeting with the member of the panel to discuss. They have the majority and so they can do anything,” Yadav said ahead of the meeting. “Mahabharat (war) took place because of Draupadi’s cheer-haran,” the MP said when asked about the alternatives the opposition has — lending his support to Mahua Moitra.

‘We can’t tolerate the insult of a woman’: BSP MP Danish Ali

As BSP MP Danish Ali arrived for the meeting in Parliament on Thursday, he said he won’t tolerate the insult of a woman. “Everyone has seen how BJP stands with those who insult women, be it Unnao or Hathras or the Bilkis Bano case. But we can’t tolerate a woman’s insult,” the BSP MP said. According to reports, the ethics committee in its draft report pulled up Danish Ali for his outburst against chairman Vinod Sonkar during the last meeting of the committee when Mahua Moitra appeared before the panel on November 2.

Danish Ali said he had not read the report. “There can’t be two laws in this country. Rule 275 is being violated continuously by the Chairperson of the Ethics Committee who is giving interviews to television channels. We can say one thing that we have raised our voice against injustice and we will continue to do that,” the BSP MP said.

The Opposition MPs who on November 2 raised their voice against ‘personal and indecent’ questions posed to Mahua Moitra have given a dissent notice on the draft report, news agency ANI claimed. They said industrialist Darshan Hiranandani should have been called by the committee.

Allegations serious, report to be submitted to Lok Sabha speaker: Vinod Sonkar

Lok Sabha Ethics Committee chairman Vinod Sonkar on Thursday said the allegations against Mahua Moitra were very serious. The committee has investigated the allegations and drafted the report, the chairperson said adding that Thursday’s meeting was to discuss the report and then to adopt it.

Mahua Moitra was accused of giving her Parliament login to industrialist Darshan Hiranandani who admitted to have posted questions on Adani on the Parliament site. Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that Mahua Moitra took cash and gifts from Darshan Hiranandani — a charge that Mahua Moitra refuted. The Trinamool MP, however, admitted to have shared her Parliament site credentials with Darshan Hiranandani and reiterated that this was no security breach.