'Why Seek Probe By Govt If Panel Found TMC MP Guilty': Congress Backs Mahua Moitra

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra was removed from the Lower House on Friday following a discussion on the Ethics Committee's report.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram

Source : PTI Images

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Thursday raised concerns over the expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, questioning the rationale behind seeking a government inquiry when the Ethics Committee had already found her guilty in the 'cash for query' case. Moitra was removed from the Lower House on Friday following a discussion on the Ethics Committee's report.

"The committee concluded that she is criminal, but then recommends an intense legal institutional inquiry by the Government of India in a time-bound manner. After finding somebody criminal, why are you asking for an inquiry? This recommendation itself is completely contradictory. The person who drafted it has to read it again," remarked Karti Chidambaram in a statement to ANI on Friday.

#WATCH | On Mahua Moitra's expulsion as a Member of the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram says, " ...So the committee came to a conclusion that she is criminal but in the next line, the committee recommends for an intense legal institutional inquiry by Govt of India in a… pic.twitter.com/j5w10nLPz3

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2023

Moitra, who was denied the opportunity to speak during the House discussion, read out her statement outside the Lok Sabha, alleging that the Ethics Committee had violated every rule. Following her expulsion, she asserted that the committee's probe was another tool used to crush the opposition and accused it of breaking established norms.

In her statement, Moitra contested the findings of the Ethics Committee, stating that she was deemed guilty of breaching a non-existent code of ethics. She claimed the committee punished her for engaging in a routine, accepted, and encouraged practice in the House. Moitra further accused the committee of relying on contradictory testimonies from two private citizens, one of whom was her estranged partner.

"The two testimonies have been used to hang me there at polar opposites to each other," she stated. The opposition staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after the motion to expel the TMC MP was adopted, leading to the adjournment of the House until December 11.

Speaker Om Birla declared, "This House accepts the conclusions of the Committee that MP Mahua Moitra's conduct was immoral and indecent as an MP. So, it is not appropriate for her to continue as an MP..." The Ethics Committee's report recommended Moitra's expulsion from the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, citing "serious misdemeanours" and called for an "intense, legal, institutional inquiry" by the central government in a "time-bound manner." Click here to read the full report.