“A very serious breach of rule 275 (2) contained in the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Lok Sabha where the draft report by the Committee on Ethics on the subject of Unethical Conduct by Mahua Moitra, MP, was accessed by a media channel on November 8, a day before it is to be placed before the Committee” the TMC MP alleged in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Mahua Moitra said that the media channel which accessed the report is majority owned by the Adani group, against whom she has raised very serious issues of corporate fraud and breach of financial and securities regulations in the Lok Sabha. She further said that the group is under scanner for alleged coal scam
“I have been targeted for speaking out against this corporate giant and it is absolutely shocking how a channel owned by this group has access to a confidential Committee report which is the subject of my alleged unethical conduct,” Mahua Moitra further alleged.
The Trinamool MP alleged that there is total breakdown of all due process and rules of the Lok Sabha and said the Speaker’s inaction and lack of response to her previous complaint was unfortunate.
Mahua Moitra had appeared before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on November 2 over the cash-for-query allegations against her. However, the Trinamool MP and the opposition members of the panel had “walked out” of the meeting alleging that Mahua had been asked personal questions by the chairperson.
Opposition members of the Ethics Committee also raised questions over the line of questioning and alleged that “personal questions” were posed to the Trinamool Congress MP. BSP MP Danish Ali, Janata Dal (United) MP Giridhari Yadav, and Congress MP Uttam Kumar Reddy were among those who “walked out” of the meeting.
TMC backs Mahua Moitra
Meanwhile, in a significant boost to Mahua Moitra, she got the backing of her party leader Abhishek Banerjee, who said that the Trinamool MP is competent enough to fight her battle on her own.
“When you have no evidence then how could you recommend expulsion? I think Mahua Moitra is competent enough to fight her battle on her own. They have been calling me for the last 4 years and trying to trap me in different cases,” Abhishek Banerjee said.
“A month ago, when a 4-day session was called in the new Parliament, BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri tried to destroy the dignity of the Parliament and there are many MPs of BJP against whom privilege is due, there is no hearing against them. But if someone wants to ask direct questions to the government on Adani’s malpractices, then how is she expelled from the post of MP” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
