08-12-2023 : Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has been expelled from the Lok Sabha on Friday following a probe into allegations of accepting gifts and cash in exchange for raising questions in Parliament, a scandal commonly referred to as the cash-for-query case. The Ethics Committee, responsible for investigating the matter, recommended Moitra’s expulsion, and the decision was put to a voice vote after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved the motion for her expulsion during the Lok Sabha session.
Earlier in the day, Ethics Committee Chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar presented the panel’s report when the House reconvened after a brief adjournment during the Question Hour. Tensions rose as Trinamool Congress and some Congress members protested in the Well of the House, demanding a copy of the report. Prior to the expulsion motion, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting a 48-hour window to review the ethics panel report recommending Moitra’s expulsion.
In response to her expulsion, Mahua Moitra addressed the issue, accusing the Modi government of attempting to silence her regarding the Adani issue. She asserted that the hasty and improper use of due process in her case highlighted the government’s concern about the Adani matter and showcased the lengths to which they would go to silence a lone woman MP.
Speaking to the press outside the Parliament, Moitra, alongside opposition leaders, reiterated her stance, emphasizing that the government’s actions were an attempt to suppress her voice on the Adani issue. She highlighted the lack of evidence of cash or gifts, indicating that the Ethics panel’s findings were solely based on conflicting written testimonies from two individuals. Moitra further contested the absence of rules governing login sharing, hinting at the lack of a clear basis for the accusations against her. Expressing her concerns, she anticipated potential harassment from the CBI in the future.