Lok Sabha Ethics Committee to decide Mahua Moitra's fate in Cash-for-Query case tomorrow

The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha is scheduled to convene on November 7 to deliberate and finalise a draft decision concerning the alleged Cash-for-Query case involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra. This case gained attention after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey accused Moitra of accepting money in exchange for specific parliamentary questions.

Some reports suggest that the committee, chaired by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, is likely to propose actions against Moitra, which may include disqualification for the remainder of the Lok Sabha sessions.

Following the meeting, the committee's recommendations will be forwarded to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who will make the final ruling.

h-for-query row: BJP, TMC trade barbs, ethics committee to investigate

Mahua criticises the Ethics Committee

• After the committee's last meeting on Thursday, November 2, Moitra criticized the Ethics Committee for posing personal and inappropriate questions to her during the inquiry.
• Despite being in the minority, opposition members in the committee also accused Chairman Sonkar of similar conduct during the proceedings.
• Subsequently, Moitra and all five opposition members walked out of the meeting, alleging that Sonkar had asked intrusive questions about her travels, hotel stays, and telephone calls.
• Moitra described the experience as a "Proverbial Vastraharan" during the committee meeting.

• Moitra later took to X (formerly Twitter) to allege that the BJP was planning to file criminal cases against her. She also stated, "CBI and ED need to file an FIR against Adani for the Rs 13,000 crore coal scam before they question how many pairs of shoes I have."
• Furthermore, Moitra claimed to possess an exact transcript of the Ethics Committee's proceedings and accused the BJP of attempting to construct a false narrative against her.

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Strict action?

• Media reports suggest, strict action will be taken against Moitra, which could even lead to her disqualification from her Krihnanagar Lok Sabha Seat. 
• A similar Cash-for-Query case from 2005 resulted in the expulsion of 11 MPs for accepting money in exchange for their questions.
• This precedent may guide the committee's recommendations regarding the current situation, reports suggest.

Dubey's accusations

• Nishikant Dubey, the BJP MP from Godda (Jharkhand) accused Moitra of accepting bribes in exchange for raising questions targeting the Adani Group.
• He also alleged that businessman Darshan Hiranandani had used Moitra's parliamentary login ID to file questions from various locations, primarily Dubai.
• While Moitra admitted that her login details were used, she denied any financial gain and argued that many MPs share their login credentials.

The cash-for-query row

• The controversy began when Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing Moitra of accepting bribes in exchange for asking questions in Parliament. Moitra denied the allegations.
• The Speaker subsequently referred the issue to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, which has been investigating the matter so far.

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