Ethics panel report on Mahua Moitra tabled in Lok Sabha; TMC seeks ‘48 hours’ to study document

New Delhi: The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha on Friday tabled its report on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, in the lower house of the Parliament. The panel's chief, BJP MP Vijay Sonkar, tabled the report, prompting ruckus and leading to the adjournment of the house for two hours.

The Opposition MPs claimed the motion to disqualify Mahua Moitra may be brought on the floor of the house today.

"The Congress is going to oppose the motion. This is an attack on Parliament. When an MP asks a question in relation to a corporate, there is a conspiracy to disqualify the lawmaker through the ethics panel," Congress leader Manickam Tagore said.

The Opposition will question why Hiranandani -- who claimed to have paid bribes to Moitra – wasn't questioned by the panel, RSP leader NK Premachandran said.

Meanwhile, Trinamool MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay has written a letter saying the members of parliament must get 48 hours to study the report.

The panel has reportedly recommended Moitra's expulsion from the Lok Sabha over the charge that she asked businessman Darshan Hiranandani's questions using her parliamentary portal in exchange for bribes.

Moitra has admitted that she shared her credentials with the businessman but the questions asked were hers.. She has said she used the businessman's staff to type out her questions on the portal. She has, however, denied having accepted any bribes or violating any parliamentary rules.

The Opposition has been demanding a discussion on the report in the House.

The ruling BJP claims that Mahua Moitra had jeopardised national security by sharing her login and password with Hiranandani.

BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said there shouldn't be politics when it comes to national security.

"There should be no politics over this...Action should be taken against someone who puts questions over national security. Otherwise, Members of Parliament who represent 140 crore people of the country will be questionable. We want the decision to be taken at the earliest and action to be taken," she said earlier today.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the BJP government of practicing what he called "revenge politics".

"The issue is going on for a long time...It is putting the wrong message across the nation. Why does this government do revenge politics? PM Modi talks well but I don't understand why's there so much difference in his speech and actions...What was such a huge mistake that suspension from the house was needed? Can they not ask her in the House in front of everyone...It appears to be a dictatorship," he said.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the report was the government's "misadventure".

"If they indulge in this misadventure, all I can say is that they are going to add 50,000 extra votes to Mahua in re-election in 2024...I don't think it has been a fair and equitable procedure...We want her to continue in the Parliament. This is a normal style of the BJP to silence voices against it, this is yet another attempt. Of course, we are opposing it," he said.

Mahua Moitra had appeared before the panel in November. The meeting, however, ended up being a slugfest as she accused Sonkar of asking unethical questions. Sonkar later claimed she had used unparliamentary words against him and the panel.

With inputs from PTI, ANI