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Claiming that no proper procedure was followed by the Ethics committee over its adoption of the report which led to recommending the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra from Lok Sabha, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called it a 'disgrace' and said that this is nothing but a political vendetta by BJP.
Speaking to ANI, Shashi Tharoor said, "Incredibly inadequate report. It seems to have been adopted in two and a half minutes, according to one of the members. There has been no proper procedure followed, no attempt to cross-examine those who have made accusations and at the same time the conclusion of such a major punishment as expulsion of a Member - to arrive that without serious consideration is truly disgraceful." Tharoor further said that expelling a member from the House without following a proper procedure will set an undesirable precedent for the future. "Opposition, all the INDIA Alliance parties are completely convinced that this is a travesty of justice, it would set a very undesirable precedent for the future. All of this suggests to us a political vendetta and not a judicially sustainable process. It is most unfortunate that Parliament is being reduced to such a performance of political vendetta," he said. Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party MP and Ethics Committee chairperson Vinod Kumar laid on the table the first Report (Hindi and English versions) of the Committee on Ethics. BJP MP Dushayant Gautam said that it seems TMC has accepted that Mahua Moitra is guilty in the alleged 'cash for query' case and this is the reason for their demands on allowing Mahua Moitra to speak on this issue in the House. "It is the Speaker's prerogative to run the House. The Speaker will run it in fair manner. It seems they have accepted that Moitra is guilty that is why they are requesting that she should be allowed to speak," BJP MP told ANI. Moitra has found support from her party colleague Nurat Jahan who said the Trinamool MP must be given an opportunity to speak for herself. Speaking to ANI, Nusrat Jahan said, "Has it actually been fairly conducted? We don't know. Because this Government hasn't been really fair when it comes to women. We have asked for a hard copy of the report. Our leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay has asked for it. After studying the report, we can come to a conclusion and when the discussion happens, we have all requested that Mahua be given an opportunity to speak for herself and say whatever she feels because she is the most affected in this case." Mahua Moitra is facing the heat of the "cash-for-query" allegations against her. The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee had recently recommended her expulsion from the Lower House. The draft report was adopted by a 6:4 majority in the panel last month. As per the sources, the draft report on Moitra's cash-for-questions case reveals that she visited the UAE four times from 2019 to 2023 while her login was accessed several times. Six members of the panel voted in favour of the report, including suspended Congress MP Preneet Kaur. Four members of the panel belonging to opposition parties submitted dissent notes. The opposition members termed the report a "fixed match" and said the complaint filed by Dubey, which the panel reviewed, was not supported by a "shred of evidence". Moitra can be expelled only if the House votes in favour of the panel's recommendation. (ANI)
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