The Ethics Committee report calling for the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra in a "cash-for-query" case was tabled in Lok Sabha on Friday by BJP's Vijay Sonkar MP. Following the opposition uproar over the report, the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm.
Moitra, who arrived at the Parliament ahead of the session, appeared nonchalant as she said "Maa Durga has come". The MP also quoted from famous poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar: "Jab naash manush par chaata hai, pehle vivek maar jaata hai (destruction befalls a person, conscience dies first"). "They have started 'vastraharan' and now you will watch 'Mahabharat ka rann (battlefield)'.
Earlier the day, the Congress said it will fight tooth and nail the report calling for the expulsion of Moitra. "Today, the Ethics Committee report is being tabled. Let us see what report are they going to table in the House. If the report states expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra, we will oppose it tooth and nail," Congress Lok Sabha Chief Whip K Suresh told ANI.
Meanwhile, the opposition members have demanded a discussion on the panel’s report before a decision is taken on it. "If the report is tabled, we would insist on a full-fledged discussion as the draft was adopted in two-and-a-half minutes," BSP MP Danish Ali told reporters.
The committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Sonkar, has recommended the disqualification of Moitra as an MP and a detailed investigation into the allegations against her. The panel adopted its report at its meeting on November 8, with six members voting in favour and four members against.
Moitra can be expelled if the house votes in favour of the panel’s recommendations.