Cash for Query: Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee postpones meeting on Mahua Moitra to Nov 9

A note from the Lok Sabha secretariat states that the meeting of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, which was scheduled to discuss and approve a draft report on the cash-for-query charges against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, has been rescheduled from November 7 to November 9.

The meeting has been rescheduled without official justification.

The committee led by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar has completed its investigation and will now be making recommendations after its members divided along party lines in their most recent meeting on November 2. This is indicated by the calling of the meeting to accept the draft report.

The BJP members are in a majority in the 15-member committee which is likely to take a grim view of the charges against Moitra, more so after she accused Sonkar of asking filthy and personal questions to her in the last meeting before walking out in a rage along with opposition members.

There are indications the committee may make a recommendation against her in its report to Speaker Om Birla amid a possibility of dissent notes from opposition members.

All five opposition members had stormed out of the November 2 meeting, alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to her regarding her travels, hotel stay and telephone calls.

She later alleged that she was subjected to a “proverbial vastraharan” in the meeting.

The committee chairperson dismissed opposition members’ claims as a case of unethical conduct aimed at shielding her.

The decision of Moitra, who appeared before the panel as a subject of enquiry and thus lacked the privileges bestowed on its members, to walk out of the meeting is likely to be taken up critically by the committee in its report.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has accused Moitra of asking questions in the Lok Sabha to target the Adani Group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for bribes.

He said it was Hiranandani who used her login to file questions from different places, mostly Dubai.

Moitra has admitted that he used her login details but has rejected any pecuniary considerations, asserting that most MPs share their login credentials with others.