1. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra expelled from Lok Sabha over ‘cash-for-query’ controversy.
2. Motion supporting expulsion passed during House proceedings.
3. Controversy initiated by allegations from BJP’s Nishikant Dubey regarding bribery for parliamentary questions.
New Delhi, Dec 08: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra faced expulsion from the Lok Sabha on Friday in connection with the ‘cash-for-query’ case. The motion supporting her expulsion was passed during the House proceedings.
The controversy began when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Nishikant Dubey accused Mahua Moitra of accepting a bribe for posing questions in Parliament. Dubey made these sensational allegations in October, prompting him to request an investigation into the matter.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of State (MoS) Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Dubey urged the establishment of a probe committee to examine the validity of the charges against Moitra.
The basis for Dubey’s accusations lay in a letter from Jai Anant Dehadrai, a Supreme Court lawyer, which alleged “irrefutable evidence of bribes” exchanged between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of the Hiranandani Group. Dubey asserted that these allegations were reminiscent of the December 2005 ‘Cash for Query Scandal.’
Moitra vehemently denied the charges, dismissing them as “lies from a jilted ex,” referring to Dehadrai. She also took a dig at Dubey after he wrote a letter to the IT ministry, requesting the release of the location and login details of all MPs.
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Nishikant Dubey, citing Jai Anant Dehadrai’s letter, claimed that 50 out of 61 questions posed by Moitra in Parliament were aimed at “protecting or perpetuating business interests” of Darshan Hiranandani and his conglomerate. The questions allegedly targeted the Adani Group, a rival conglomerate of Hiranandani, and were supposedly asked in exchange for cash and gifts.
Dehadrai further asserted that Moitra had consistently targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in recent years, often referencing the Adani group. This, according to the allegations, was an attempt to create an impression of being “critical of the government” and possibly seek cover against her “clandestine criminal operation.”
Dubey, in his letter, claimed that the unmasking of quid pro quo by Mahua Moitra revealed a “Machiavellian Camouflage” that portrayed a facade of morality while engaging in criminal activities. He likened the situation to the ‘cash-for-query’ scandal of 2005 and emphasized the need for a swift investigation.
The BJP MP pointed out the urgency by referring to the previous episode in 2005, where an Inquiry Committee was constituted promptly, leading to the expulsion of 10 members in just 23 days.
In response to these developments, Nishikant Dubey asserted that such misconduct would not go unnoticed, drawing parallels with a previous instance where 11 MPs faced expulsion in a ‘cash-for-questions’ scandal. He highlighted the irony of accepting numerous gifts from one businessman while criticizing another, emphasizing that the membership would likely be revoked.
As the Lok Sabha motion supporting Mahua Moitra’s expulsion was passed, it marked a significant development in this unfolding political controversy. The gravity of the accusations and the subsequent expulsion underscored the need for accountability in parliamentary proceedings.
