Mahua Moitra, opposition MPs walk out of parliamentary panel meet
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali, and other opposition party MPs walked out of the Parliament Ethics Committee meeting on Thursday. Moitra, who was asked to appear before the panel regarding the "cash-for-query" case, accused the ethics panel of asking "filthy questions." "Is this an ethics committee?...reading from a script," said the TMC MP.
Why does this story matter?
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that Moitra took bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani for asking questions in Parliament, targeting PM Narendra Modi and the Adani Group. If the allegations are proven true, Moitra could be expelled from the House for breach of parliamentary privilege. These claims are based on alleged documentation from Supreme Court lawyer Anant Rai Dehadrai, Moitra's estranged partner.
Parliamentary panel allegedly asked unethical questions to Moitra
According to reports, the opposition MPs who walked out of the panel meeting revealed that the committee asked "personal and unethical questions" to the TMC leader. "The whole line of questions it seems that he's (Parliament Ethics Committee Chairperson Vinod Sonkar) acting on somebody's behest. It is very, very bad," PTI quoted Congress MP Uttam Kumar Reddy as saying.
Visuals of Moitra and other MPs walking out of meet
Moitra didn't cooperate during her cross-examination: Sonkar
Meanwhile, the ethics committee chairperson claimed that Moitra didn't cooperate during her cross-examination and walked out to avoid facing questions. "The opposition members also made allegations in anger and suddenly walked out of the meeting to avoid answering more questions," Chairperson Vinod Sonkar said. "Objectionable words were used against the panel's functioning and me," ANI quoted him as saying.
'Sour personal relationship' motivated filing of complaint: Moitra
Earlier, during the hearing, Moitra reportedly accepted sharing her parliamentary ID credentials with businessman Hiranandani but denied accepting any gifts or monetary benefits for raising questions in the House. She blamed the charge on a "bitter personal relationship," stating that Dehadrai, who filed a complaint against her with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was her "jilted ex."
Know about the allegations against Moitra
As per Dubey, Hiranandani gave expensive gifts, Rs. 2 crore, and Rs. 75 lakh to Moitra to fight polls. He also claimed that 50 of the 61 questions asked by the TMC MP between 2019 and 2023 were on his behalf. He further said that the questions were frequently directed at the Adani Group, which "Hiranandani Group was bidding for business against."
