According to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expelling Mahua Moitra, who is being investigated for “Cash-for-Query” allegations, will only make her more popular for three months.
Mahua Moitra has been embroiled in a political storm after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that she accepted bribes from businessmen to ask questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts. She admitted to letting him use her Lok Sabha login credentials to post questions that she claimed were hers. New sources revealed that her Parliament login ID was accessed not just from Dubai but also from New Jersey, the United States, and Bengaluru, according to India Today.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared a Lok Sabha order underlining the importance of confidentiality for the question and answer session in Parliament and targeted Mahua Moitra by using the Hindi idiom “Chori Upar se Seenazori” (showing aggression after committing wrongdoings) for the Trinamool Congress MP.
Citing the Lok Sabha order, Nishikant Dubey emphasized the importance of keeping information confidential until the question is asked and answered in the House to avoid economic and security breaches.
The Lok Sabha order, shared by Dubey, stated that the contents of a reply made in response to a question are strictly confidential until the Question for Oral Answer has been asked and answered, emphasizing the importance of keeping the information limited to the MP only.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s first-ever public statement on Mahua Moitra said that expelling her will only make her more popular for three months, as she will continue to express her views outside Parliament if expelled.
Moitra is currently facing the consequences of the “cash-for-query” allegations, as the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has recommended her expulsion from the Lower House.
Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, which is investigating the cash-for-query allegations, has adopted the report with a majority recommending the expulsion of the TMC member.
Dubey had previously approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Moitra, accusing her of asking questions in Lok Sabha to target the Adani Group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for gifts.
The Ethics Committee has requested detailed reports from the Information Technology (IT) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the IP address and location, as well as MHA’s input on the dangers of sharing login credentials and the legal consequences under Section IT ACT 2000.
The draft report is said to have suggested that “serious misdemeanours on the part of Mahua Moitra call for severe punishment.”
(with inputs from ANI)