The case of the outspoken Trina Mool Congress MP (TMC) Mahua Moitra from West Bengal is yet another example of “dissent mukut Bharat” launched by the BJP after its successful attempt at “Opposition Mukt Bharat.”
We have seen how Rahul Gandhi was stripped of his Lok Sabha membership and was barred from holding any office for eight years for criticizing the ruling BJP-government.
Now it’s the turn of silencing Mahua Moitra, the TMC MP for asking uncomfortable questions like, “BJP-Adani nexus.”
The BJP uses its Parliamentary majority of 303 MPs to silence the voices of dissent that criticize its iconic leaders or its unthought-of policies and programmes.
In some sense, the BJP has reduced the Parliament to a ‘Kangaroo Court’ where it uses its majority whip to fulfill its wishes even if it’s for nefarious ends.
Mahua Moitra the TMC’s Krishnanagar MP from Nadia district, West Bengal has been accused of posing questions via her parliamentary account at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her login credentials with him. This complaint was filed by the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Moitra for breaching the people’s mandate before the Parliamentary Ethics Committee.
Responding to the charges against her, Moitra said, “There is a big question mark as to what constitutes the “cash for query case”. She claims that there’s no evidence of “cash”, or specific “queries” that are cash-worthy. So both “cash” and “query” are concocted narrative being spun around “national security.
Moitra claims, “There are no pieces of evidence, no trail, and the smoking gun theory is all bull-shit, built in thin air to victimize those who like to disagree with the ruling government.
Earlier, Moitra had accused the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee of asking humiliating questions during a “cash-for-query” hearing. She expressed her willingness to cooperate with the probe while emphasizing the importance of protection from misogyny and maintaining decency.
In a media interview, Moitra said “They called me for questioning, which was not complete because the chairperson did not allow others to question me. Her demand for cross-examining the main complainant was not allowed. Further, “There was no cross-examining of the main complainant, the alleged bribe giver and I was not allowed to cross-examine the main complainant. When the meeting started, “the chairman said those in favor, please put up your hand and that’s all,” she said.
Moitra clarified her stand on login IDs and gifts and said she has done nothing “unethical or illegal”. Not a single piece of evidence of cash or gifts has come out so far and the issue of login sharing is a non-issue because every MP shares it with 10 people and there are no NIC rules.”
Commenting on the discussion on the recommendation, Moitra clarified that the recommendation is yet to be finalized and said it should be taken up during the Winter Session of Parliament.
“Nothing of such sort has taken place so far and let them place it before the House on the first day of the winter session, and we will take it from there.”
Moitra criticized the Ethics Committee for breaching its mandate, saying; “The mandate of the panel cannot go to expulsion, in case if cash for a query allegation is proved then that’s an issue of a breach of privilege and this should have gone to the Privileges Committee. The Ethics Committee has no role in looking into unethical conduct. This is a typical and a hatchet job.”
While pointing out discrepancies in the recommendation, Moitra called the ground of breach of national security “laughable.” “They have said, they have not found any evidence, ‘but we are asking you to go to an investigating agency to find evidence’. So if you don’t have any evidence, then on what ground are you expelling me or recommending my expulsion? This is ludicrous and shows their true intention,” Moitra said.
Disputing the legitimacy of the Ethics Committee’s mandate to recommend expulsion, Moitra criticized the saffron party, stating, “I am happy that BJP has shown to the entire country the mockery they have made of parliamentary democracy.”
“First of all, this is just a recommendation; nothing has happened as of now. The Report is yet to be made public. Let them take it up in the Winter Session of Parliament. This actually does nothing to me. This can’t shut me up,” she asserted.
Regarding her future course of action, Moitra said, “First let them expel me. I will go back to my electoral constituency explaining the sordid affair to my voters and I will be back with a bigger mandate in the next Lok Sabha,” she added.
Her final punch line was, “From day one, the Indian Parliament is being reduced to a “Kangaroo Court,” where decisions are being finalized and leaked to the media and this circus is going on.
“The government’s decision will not deter me from continuing to ask questions and expose the “BJP-Adani nexus,” the Tigress of Bengal thundered.
The current Lok Sabha is in its last lap with only two sessions remaining. As the next poll is just around the corner, one wonders, why the BJP is doing all this. Perhaps, the ruling BJP-government is confident of its victory in the 2024 general elections, where EVMs will be rigged and the secret code of “Jai Shri Ram” will bring it back to power.
The other reasoning is, that the BJP is so paranoid that it’s ‘running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.’ We all know when the jackal’s time of death arrives it runs towards the city. The BJP is at the moment gunning for the head of Mahua Moitra.
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Dissent Mukut Bharat – Mahua Moitra Case
Syed Ali Mujtaba*
The case of the outspoken Trina Mool Congress MP (TMC) Mahua Moitra from West Bengal is yet another example of “dissent mukut Bharat” launched by the BJP after its successful attempt at “Opposition Mukt Bharat.”
We have seen how Rahul Gandhi was stripped of his Lok Sabha membership and was barred from holding any office for eight years for criticizing the ruling BJP-government.
Now it’s the turn of silencing Mahua Moitra, the TMC MP for asking uncomfortable questions like, “BJP-Adani nexus.”
The BJP uses its Parliamentary majority of 303 MPs to silence the voices of dissent that criticize its iconic leaders or its unthought-of policies and programmes.
In some sense, the BJP has reduced the Parliament to a ‘Kangaroo Court’ where it uses its majority whip to fulfill its wishes even if it’s for nefarious ends.
Mahua Moitra the TMC’s Krishnanagar MP from Nadia district, West Bengal has been accused of posing questions via her parliamentary account at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani and sharing her login credentials with him. This complaint was filed by the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Moitra for breaching the people’s mandate before the Parliamentary Ethics Committee.
Responding to the charges against her, Moitra said, “There is a big question mark as to what constitutes the “cash for query case”. She claims that there’s no evidence of “cash”, or specific “queries” that are cash-worthy. So both “cash” and “query” are concocted narrative being spun around “national security.
Moitra claims, “There are no pieces of evidence, no trail, and the smoking gun theory is all bull-shit, built in thin air to victimize those who like to disagree with the ruling government.
Earlier, Moitra had accused the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee of asking humiliating questions during a “cash-for-query” hearing. She expressed her willingness to cooperate with the probe while emphasizing the importance of protection from misogyny and maintaining decency.
In a media interview, Moitra said “They called me for questioning, which was not complete because the chairperson did not allow others to question me. Her demand for cross-examining the main complainant was not allowed. Further, “There was no cross-examining of the main complainant, the alleged bribe giver and I was not allowed to cross-examine the main complainant. When the meeting started, “the chairman said those in favor, please put up your hand and that’s all,” she said.
Moitra clarified her stand on login IDs and gifts and said she has done nothing “unethical or illegal”. Not a single piece of evidence of cash or gifts has come out so far and the issue of login sharing is a non-issue because every MP shares it with 10 people and there are no NIC rules.”
Commenting on the discussion on the recommendation, Moitra clarified that the recommendation is yet to be finalized and said it should be taken up during the Winter Session of Parliament.
“Nothing of such sort has taken place so far and let them place it before the House on the first day of the winter session, and we will take it from there.”
Moitra criticized the Ethics Committee for breaching its mandate, saying; “The mandate of the panel cannot go to expulsion, in case if cash for a query allegation is proved then that’s an issue of a breach of privilege and this should have gone to the Privileges Committee. The Ethics Committee has no role in looking into unethical conduct. This is a typical and a hatchet job.”
While pointing out discrepancies in the recommendation, Moitra called the ground of breach of national security “laughable.” “They have said, they have not found any evidence, ‘but we are asking you to go to an investigating agency to find evidence’. So if you don’t have any evidence, then on what ground are you expelling me or recommending my expulsion? This is ludicrous and shows their true intention,” Moitra said.
Disputing the legitimacy of the Ethics Committee’s mandate to recommend expulsion, Moitra criticized the saffron party, stating, “I am happy that BJP has shown to the entire country the mockery they have made of parliamentary democracy.”
“First of all, this is just a recommendation; nothing has happened as of now. The Report is yet to be made public. Let them take it up in the Winter Session of Parliament. This actually does nothing to me. This can’t shut me up,” she asserted.
Regarding her future course of action, Moitra said, “First let them expel me. I will go back to my electoral constituency explaining the sordid affair to my voters and I will be back with a bigger mandate in the next Lok Sabha,” she added.
Her final punch line was, “From day one, the Indian Parliament is being reduced to a “Kangaroo Court,” where decisions are being finalized and leaked to the media and this circus is going on.
“The government’s decision will not deter me from continuing to ask questions and expose the “BJP-Adani nexus,” the Tigress of Bengal thundered.
The current Lok Sabha is in its last lap with only two sessions remaining. As the next poll is just around the corner, one wonders, why the BJP is doing all this. Perhaps, the ruling BJP-government is confident of its victory in the 2024 general elections, where EVMs will be rigged and the secret code of “Jai Shri Ram” will bring it back to power.
The other reasoning is, that the BJP is so paranoid that it’s ‘running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.’ We all know when the jackal’s time of death arrives it runs towards the city. The BJP is at the moment gunning for the head of Mahua Moitra.
*Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujutaba2007@gmail.com
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