Mahua Moitra was expelled from the membership of Lok Sabha on Friday in the case of “Cash for Query”. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi presented the motion for expulsion. The House passed it by voice vote.
Before that, the report by the Ethics Committee recommended the expulsion of Mahua. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said this House accepts the report of the committee. In this report the conduct of MP Mahua Moitra has been described as unethical, immoral and indecent as an MP. Therefore it is not appropriate for her to remain an MP. After the decision, Mahua said that the Ethics Committee had no power to expel. This is the beginning of the end of the Modi Government.
What is the Ethics Committee and how does it work?
On March 4, 1997, the then Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman KR Narayanan constituted the Ethics Committee of the Upper House to keep an eye on the ethical conduct of MPs. In 2000, the then Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi constituted an ad-hoc Ethics Committee for the Lok Sabha, which became a permanent part of the House in 2015.
It consists of 15 members from different parties. Presently BJP MP from Kaushambi Vinod Kumar Sonkar is its president. Currently, there are 7 MPs from the BJP and four from Congress, while Shiv Sena, JDU, CPIM and BSP have one MP each.
Any person can complain against an MP, but there must be evidence of unethical conduct. An affidavit also has to be submitted. If a Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha member himself makes a complaint then there is no need for an affidavit. The complaint will go through the Lok Sabha MP.
The committee first conducts a preliminary investigation. If there is no case at first sight in the opinion of the Committee, it may recommend deletion of the case. For this, the committee chairman informs the speaker. If the committee finds a case to investigate after a preliminary inquiry, it proceeds with an investigation. After this, the committee sends its recommendation to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
If in the investigation of the Ethics Committee, any member is found guilty of ethical misconduct or violation of the code of conduct, then there is a provision for punitive action under Rule 297. Under which condemnation, censure, suspension and expulsion from the House for a fixed period are included.
11 MPs lost their membership 18 years ago in “Cash for Query”
In 2005, 10 Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha MP lost their membership in a case of asking questions for taking money. The allegations in the Lok Sabha were investigated by a special committee led by Congress MP PK Bansal, while the Ethics Committee in the Rajya Sabha investigated the complaint.
The case against Mahua Moitra was reported on November 9
Earlier, the Ethics Committee headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, in its meeting on November 9, had accepted the report recommending the expulsion of Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha.
The Ethics Committee prepared a 500-page report.
The committee had prepared a 500-page report. In this, many important recommendations were made to protect the dignity of Parliament and to give importance to national security. Mahua is accused of taking bribes and asking questions against the Adani Group to benefit businessman Hiranandani.
Mahua herself had admitted in front of the committee that she had shared her ID password linked to the question-asking portal in Parliament. Hiranandani had admitted to giving bribes to Mahua.
The Ethics Committee of Parliament has finally recommended cancelling the membership of TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra for asking questions in exchange for cash and gifts.
Six members of the committee voted in favor of the report
Six members of the committee voted in favour of the report. Suspended Congress MP Preneet Kaur was also included among them. However, four opposition members of the committee expressed disagreement with the report. Moreover, opposition members had termed the report as a fixed match. They said that there was no substance in the complaint of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
Mahua Moitra said after her expulsion
Mahua Moitra said on her expulsion as Lok Sabha member:
If this Modi government thought that by silencing me they could end the Adani issue. Let me tell you that this Kangaroo Court has only shown India that you have acted hastily and abused due process. This shows how Adani is important to you and to what extent you will harass a woman MP. She further said that the Ethics Committee has no power to expel. This is the beginning of your end.
She said that the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha report has broken all the rules. It is a weapon to force us to bow down. I have been found guilty of violating a code of conduct that does not exist. Additionally, the Ethics Committee is punishing me for doing what is normal, accepted and encouraged in the Lok Sabha. Moreover, the Ethics Committee’s findings are based solely on the written testimony of two individuals. Their statements virtually contradict each other.
