Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra’s appearance before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee took a dramatic turn as she accused the committee’s chairperson, Vinod Sonkar, of asking her “personal and unethical” questions regarding the ‘Cash-for-Query’ charges against her. The allegations against Moitra involve her alleged acceptance of bribes from a Dubai-based businessman to raise questions in Parliament targeting the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the meeting, which took place on Thursday, Moitra, along with other opposition members, stormed out of the proceedings, stating that she was subjected to “filthy” questions that she deemed inappropriate. She expressed her frustration to reporters, saying, “What kind of meeting was this? They are asking all kinds of filthy questions. They are picking on anything. Talking any rubbish.”
Moitra later penned a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, describing the chairman’s behavior as “unethical, sordid, and prejudiced.” She claimed that she had been subjected to “vastraharan” (disrobing) by Sonkar during the proceedings, which she considered a gross violation of ethics.
“The committee ought to designate itself under a name other than the Ethics Committee as it has no ethics and morality left. Instead of asking questions pertinent to the subject, the Chairman exhibited a preconceived bias by maliciously and clearly in a defamatory way questioning me, so much so that 5 of the 11 members present walked out and boycotted the proceedings in protest at his shameful conduct,” Moitra’s letter stated.
In response, Vinod Sonkar, the Ethics Committee chairperson, defended the questioning and accused Moitra of using anger to deflect legitimate questions. He asserted that only questions related to the allegations against her were posed and that she had the right to answer those she wished to and decline those she did not. Sonkar further criticized Moitra for using “unparliamentary language against the panel and the chair” and claimed that the uproar was a tactic to obstruct the investigation.
“Rather than doing this, only to create obstacles in the investigation, this ruckus was created by her. The kind of words she used for the chairman and members of the ethics committee do not suit an MP or a woman… She wanted to avoid giving answers and create obstacles in the investigation,” Sonkar stated.
In addition to these clashes, BJP MP Nishant Dubey expressed his support for Vinod Sonkar and claimed that derogatory remarks were made against the committee chief. He alleged that Moitra’s fellow TMC members had called Sonkar names like “Bihari goon” and “Jharkhandi dog.”
The ‘Cash-for-Query’ charges against Mahua Moitra revolve around allegations that she accepted money and favors to ask questions in Parliament, and that she provided her password and login credentials to the Dubai-based businessman, allegedly to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If found guilty, Moitra could face disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
The 15-member Lok Sabha Ethics panel, comprising seven members from the BJP and six from the Opposition, will convene soon to prepare its report on the investigation’s findings and the conduct of the Ethics Committee meeting.
Sources By Agencies
