Cash-for-query row: LS Ethics panel to grill Mahua Moitra on October 31

The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha has summoned Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra to appear before it on October 31 in relation to the cash-for-query allegations against her.

Following a panel meeting on Thursday, its chair and BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar also announced their intention to enlist the support of the Ministries of Home Affairs and IT to investigate the allegations against the TMC MP.

Moitra has been asked to appear before the committee on October 31, as confirmed by Sonkar. Today was the first meeting of the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha to address the “Cash for Query” allegations lodged against TMC MP Mahua Moitra.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai appeared before the Committee today to submit oral evidence in regard to the complaint filed by Dubey against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, alleging that she has “direct involvement in the “cash for query” scam in Parliament.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee is headed by the BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar and includes Vishnu Datt Sharma, Sumedhanand Saraswati, Aparajita Sarangi, Rajdeep Roy, Sunita Duggal, and Subhash Bhamre of the BJP; V. Vaithilingam, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Preneet Kaur of the Congress; Balashowry Vallabbhaneni (YSRCP); Hemant Godse (Shiv Sena); Giridhari Yadav (JD-U); P.R. Natarajan (CPI-M); and Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP).

The BJP MP earlier wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging the involvement of Mahua Moitra in the ‘Cash for Query’ scandal. He further claimed that he had proof of the charges as given to him by Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai.

Dubey, in his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, titled “Re-emergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament,” had alleged “’serious Breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and a ‘Criminal Offence’ under Section 120A of IPC” by the Trinamool Congress MP. Dubey claimed that an Advocate, Jai Anant Dehadrai, had provided him with proof of a bribe.

In his complaint to Speaker Om Birla, BJP member Dubey referred to documents provided by Dehadrai to substantiate his cash-for-query accusations against Moitra. Birla, in turn, had referred the issue to the Ethics Committee.