Mahua Moitra must vacate government bungalow: Parliament panel to Centre
The Parliament's Housing Committee has reportedly asked the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to order Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra to vacate her official bungalow. She was expelled from the Lok Sabha last week in a "cash-for-query" case. An Ethics Committee report adopted on Friday found her guilty of illegally accepting gifts from a businessman for asking questions in the Parliament.
Why does this story matter?
The cash-for-query row was triggered nearly two months ago after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s MP Nishikant Dubey filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He alleged Moitra took bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in the Parliament targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group. Moitra was investigated by the Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee, which recommended her expulsion.
Moitra's conduct was 'unbecoming' as MP: House motion
The motion that led to Moitra's expulsion stated the conduct of the TMC's MP was unbecoming. It also highlighted the ethics panel report saying Moitra accepted "gifts and illegal gratification from the businessman to further his interest." The report also called her alleged conduct a "serious misdemeanor and highly deplorable conduct" on the part of a member of the highest constitutional body.
Moitra moved SC against Parliament expulsion
On Monday, Moitra moved the Supreme Court against her expulsion from the Parliament. She argued the panel had no power to expel her, adding it was the decision of a "kangaroo court." "The recommendation of expulsion was solely based on the complaint that I shared my login. But there is no rule whatsoever in this regard," Moitra said. She also attacked the BJP government.
Moitra denied allegations of taking bribes
In October, Moitra admitted sharing her Parliament login credentials with Hiranandani but asserted that "no rules prohibited it." On allegations of receiving cash and gifts from him, however, she dubbed these charges as silly. Moitra claimed that every MP's questions are distributed to their teams. She also cited instances where she logged in from Switzerland and her sister's child logged in from Cambridge University.
