Parliament session highlights: ‘Betrayal to democracy,’ says Mamata after Moitra's expulsion from LS

Parliament session LIVE: Following the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the issue isn't gender-specific, stating Moitra's “acknowledgment of receiving gifts from Darshan Hiranandani”.

"In 2005, when 10 MPs were expelled, at the time the report was presented on the same day. This isn't an issue related to women. She herself admitted of receiving gifts (from Darshan Hiranandani). What other proof is required now?" Pralhad Joshi was quoted as saying by PTI.

West Bengal BJP chief and MP Sukanta Majumdar commented that if Moitra intended to provide any explanation, it should have been presented before the committee.

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11 am on Monday

Parliament session LIVE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Aparajita Sarangi, a member of the Ethics Committee said that Moitra's conduct was "unethical" and it should be condemned.

Sarangi said that being an MP, regardless of gender, demands adherence to ethical conduct and criticised the opposition's support for Moitra. She emphasized the expulsion as a crucial lesson for all MPs, underlining the responsibility to uphold rules after taking the oath upon assuming office.

Parliament session LIVE: Mahua Moitra, who was expelled today from the Lok Sabha over the cash-for-query scandal, dared the Bharatiya Janata Party that she would fight it over the next “30 years, inside and outside Parliament, inside gutter, on streets". She also accused the BJP of hating Muslims and women. Read more

Parliament session LIVE: Following Mahua Moitra's expulsion from the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticized the move, alleging it relied on "baseless facts" and carried a "sentiment of revenge."

"This was done based on baseless facts and with a sentiment of revenge. This government has insulted women," Adhir said.

(PTI)

Parliament session LIVE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over TMC leader Mahua Moitra's expulsion from the Lok Sabha after a debate on the cash-for-question allegations.

“Today, I am sad to see the attitude of the BJP party...How they betray the democracy. They did not allow Mahua to explain her stand. Full injustice has been done,” she said.

“I don't understand how the (Parliament) members will go through these 495 pages within half an hour and how all the speakers will take a decision. I congratulate the INDIA alliance for being united, and we will fight back. In this case, Mahua is a victim of the circumstances. I strongly condemn this and the party completely stands with Mahua,” Mamata further said. Read more

Parliament session LIVE: The CPI(M) asserted that the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha marks a "dark day" in parliamentary history, news agency PTI reported. Calling it an instance of “overactiveness”, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty emphasized that this move showcases the BJP's leveraging of its overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha. Chakraborty told PTI, “It is a black day for the Parliament.”

Following the Ethics Committee's recommendation regarding the 'cash-for-query' issue, the Lok Sabha ousted Moitra from its proceedings. Chakraborty decried this as an “injustice”, highlighting that Moitra was not afforded an opportunity to cross-examine the accuser, BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey.

Parliament session LIVE: In October, Nishikant Dubey, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, made serious accusations against Mahua Moitra, his Trinamool Congress counterpart in the Lok Sabha. He alleged that Moitra had accepted a bribe in exchange for posing questions in Parliament.

Dubey urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of State Rajeev Chandrashekhar to initiate an investigation. He called for the formation of a probe committee to ascertain the validity of these allegations against Moitra. Read more

Speaker Om Birla says, "...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..."

Rajya Sabha takes up private members’ bill.

Lok Sabha adjourned to reconvene on December 11 at 11am.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra expelled from the Lok Sabha in 'cash for query' matter. Ethics Committee report was tabled in the House today.

Ethics Committee report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra | As Opposition MPs demand that Mahua Moitra be allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla explains that why it cannot be done.

He says, "I have a copy of the traditions that were followed earlier. Former Speakers Somnath Chatterjee and Pranab Mukherjee were here earlier...The rules and traditions that they gave are considered our rules. Somnath Chatterjee had said that the Members against whom there are accusations are given ample time to speak before the Committee...This House has the tradition that the traditions followed by the previous Speakers are always further followed by the next Speakers..."

Lok Sabha speaker disallows Mahua Moitra from speaking in House on Ethics Committee recommendation, reports PTI.

Ethics Committee report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra | TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, "The fair trial would be there only when an affected is being heard. If an affected person is not heard, there cannot be any fair trial...Today, we are deciding the right of a person. When we are deciding the right of a person, we are all acting as a quasi-judicial body...I request you, kindly allow Mahua Moitra be heard.."

The Lok Sabha on Friday took up for discussion a report of the Ethics Committee recommending the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra in the "cash-for-query" case, with opposition members seeking more time to study the 495-page document.

The report was tabled in the House around 12 noon.

As soon as the House met again at 2 pm after an adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion for discussion on the panel report.

Ethics Committee report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra | As the Lok Sabha discusses the report, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay requests that Mahua Moitra be allowed to present her side before the House.

He says, "...What I propose - my party's spokesperson will be Mahua Moitra herself because allegation is against her. Wild allegations have been raised. Whether it is true or wrong, let it be spoken by her..."

Mahua Moitra was asked questions by ethics panel on basis of affidavit, no 'cheer haran' was done by asking personal questions: BJP MP Gavit.

Ethics Committee report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra | Congress MP Manish Tewari says, "I have carefully read Rule 316(d) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. It says that the recommendations of the Committee shall be presented in the form of a report...Ethics Committee can recommend if a person is guilty or innocent but it can't recommend their punishment. That power lies with this House. The Ethics Committee, at best, can make a recommendation that whether a person is guilty or innocent. It is this House sitting as jury which has the powers to decide the quantum of punishment. So, the recommendation of the Ethics Committee is fundamentally flawed in my respectful submission."

Ethics Committee report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra | Congress MP Manish Tewari says, "... As Adhir Ranjan said, heavens would not have fallen had we given 3-4 days to take cognisance of this report and then keep our opinions before the House because it is going to make a decision on a very sensitive matter...Can the procedure of the Ethics Committee override the fundamental principle of natural justice which is the organising principle of every justice system in the world? From what we read in the newspaper, the one who has been made an accused - she was not able to complete her deposition. What kind of procedure is this?..."

"This report is a deeply inadequate document, it fails to meet the basic standards of any report that can come up with such a dramatic recommendation of expulsion. It has apparently been adopted in 2.5 minutes without having any serious discussion," says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on the Ethics Committee report on 'cash-for-query' allegations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, that was tabled in the Lok Sabha earlier today.

If some strict decisions have to be taken, they have to be taken to uphold dignity of House:Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Mahua Moitra issue.

Ethics Committee report recommends the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra from Lok Sabha and investigation by the Government of India in time bound manner.

The report reads - (i) The serious misdemeanours on the part of Mahua Moitra calls for severe punishment. The Committee, therefore, recommend that Mahua Moitra, MP may be expelled from the Membership of the Seventeenth Lok Sabha.

(ii) In view of highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct of Mahua Moitra, the Committee recommends for an intense, legal, institutional inquiry by the Government of India in a time-bound manner.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, which will replace the Indian Penal Code if enacted, will be among the bills debated in the Lok Sabha next week, said Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. Other bills up for consideration from Monday include the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, which would replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Post Office Bill, which seeks to modernise the Indian postal services and has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

These bills all aim to replace colonial-era laws—the Indian Penal Code was enacted in 1860, the Indian Evidence Act in 1872, and the Criminal Procedure Act in 1898. When he introduced the bills in the monsoon session of parliament this year, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the bills fulfil one of the “panch prans” (five vows) taken by Prime Minister Modi on Independence Day to “erase all the signs of British slavery”.

“From 1860 to 2023, the country’s criminal justice system functioned as per the laws made by the British. With these three laws, there will be a major transformation in the criminal justice system,” he said.