TMC leader Mahua Moitra speaks to the media after her expulsion from the Lok Sabha over 'cash-for-query' allegations during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Friday expelled Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra over 'cash-for-query' allegations, after the report of the Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion. Moitra was not allowed to speak despite demands from Opposition MPs as members from both sides of the aisle clashed during discussions on her expulsion. Moitra later termed her ouster as ‘vastraharan’ and said that "this moment will lead to the end of the BJP".
Mahua was expelled by a voice vote, where a majority of members voted to adopt the recommendations of the Ethics Committee, which stated that she was in contempt of the House for sharing her Lok Sabha credentials. The BJP had issued a three-line whip to its 302 MPs a day earlier.
The 502-page report, which was prepared after a tumultuous hearing where Mahua accused chairperson Vinod Sonkar of asking inappropriate questions, was adopted by the committee on November 9 and tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 8. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to expel Moitra.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the decision was a “painful” one and remarked that there are days when the House has to take “tough decisions”.
After the voice vote, Birla said, “...This House accepts the conclusions of the Committee that MP Mahua Moitra’s conduct was immoral and indecent as an MP. So, it is not appropriate for her to continue as an MP (sic),” Birla said.
TMC’s Sudip Bandopadhyaya and Congress’s Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, along with Congress MP Manish Tewari, were among those who urged the Speaker to allow Mahua to speak in her defence. Joshi stated that in earlier incidents, such as the cash-for-votes scam of 2005, the 11 accused MPs were not allowed to speak either.
Opposition members also expressed concern that they were not given adequate time to read the report, and the debate took place only two hours after the report was tabled. “It is not humanly possible to read the report in just two hours,” Chowdhury said, urging the Speaker to allocate more time to MPs. Citing previous instances, Birla, however, did not allow Mahua to speak.
Congress leader Manish Tewari clashed with the treasury benches over the issue. “I’ve been a lawyer for 31 years. For the first time, I am participating in a debate without reading the document. Can the procedure of the Ethics Committee override the fundamental principle of natural justice? What we read in newspapers made it clear that the accused was not even allowed to give her full version. The person who made the allegation was not cross-examined,” Tewari said, adding that the report was flawed. Joshi countered the allegation by citing the 2005 episode when then-Speaker Somnath Chatterjee did not allow the accused MPs to speak.
Tewari also engaged in a heated debate with Birla over constitutional overreach, quoting Article 105. He argued that when the conduct of a Parliamentarian cannot be questioned in the court of law, it should not be questioned in the House. He emphasized that Article 105(2) provides immunity. In response, Birla stated that this is not the court but Parliament. "This is Parliament, not court. Main nyaydhish nahi hoon, sabhapati hoon (I’m not the judge, I’m the Speaker)," Birla said.
BJP MP Heena Gavit, supporting Mahua’s ouster, stated that the matter is not about a ruling or Opposition member and that the image of all MPs had been "tainted" because of the scandal. “Such conduct sends a message that parliamentarians do not ask their questions, but do so at someone's behest…. If someone gives them money, then they can raise questions in the House in a high-pitched voice,” Gavit said.
Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee remarked that the House was acting like a “quasi-judicial” body. “This is a constitutional violation of her rights,” he said.