Mahua Moitra slams Ethics Committee, claims breach of Parliament rules after media report

Ahead of today’s Ethics Committee decision regarding the alleged ‘Cash for Query’ scam, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing concern about a news report revealing the draft report. Moitra stated that this leak violates rule 275(2) of the Lok Sabha’s rules of procedure, as a media channel received access to the Ethics Committee’s draft report on her alleged unethical conduct on November 8, a day before it was scheduled to be presented to the Committee.

She further alleged that the media channel in question is majority-owned by the Adani group, against whom she has raised serious concerns regarding corporate fraud and financial regulatory breaches in the Lok Sabha. Moitra believes she is being targeted for speaking out against this corporate giant and finds it unacceptable that a channel owned by the group has access to a confidential Committee report related to her alleged unethical conduct. Moitra emphasized that this leak represents a complete breakdown of Lok Sabha rules and due process. She also expressed disappointment at the Speaker’s inaction and lack of response to her previous complaints. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee expressed solidarity with Moitra ahead of the Ethics Committee meeting and questioned reports suggesting her possible suspension from Parliament. Banerjee stated that without evidence, recommending expulsion is illogical.

The Ethics Committee, chaired by Vinod Sonkar, has drafted a report on the ‘Cash-for-Query’ allegations against Moitra and will send it to the Lok Sabha Speaker after discussion. When asked about the possibility of revoking Moitra’s Lok Sabha membership, Sonkar stated that the Committee would decide based on the facts and submit its report to the Speaker.tunesharemore_vert