Cong claims political conspiracy to target Moitra, seeks discussion on LS ethics panel report

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said it will oppose any motion that the government may bring in Parliament to suspend or expel TMC’s Mahua Moitra after the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha recommended her expulsion from the House in a “cash-for-query” case.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party feels there is a “political conspiracy” to harass and target Moitra and demanded a discussion on the issue in Parliament.

He said the stand of the Congress was articulated by its leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who wrote a detailed letter to the speaker, protesting against the manner in which the ethics committee report was leaked to the media.

“But our position is very clear that this is a political conspiracy to harass, to target Mahua Moitra. We will oppose any measure that the government will bring in order to suspend or expel her,” Ramesh told reporters. “They (government) will have to introduce a resolution to expel her and we will oppose it,” he said.

Asked whether the Congress wants a discussion in the House on the issue, Ramesh said, “We certainly want a discussion on the ethics committee report and we want Moitra to be given an opportunity to respond to the various charges made against her.” He said the issue came up for discussion during a meeting of like-minded parties of the INDIA opposition bloc on Monday morning and everyone present decided to oppose the motion and demanded a discussion on the functioning of the ethics committee and its report.

The Congress has come out strongly behind Moitra whose expulsion from the House has been recommended by the ethics committee.

Chowdhury wrote to Speaker Om Birla on Saturday, saying expulsion of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader from Parliament would be an “extremely serious punishment” that would have “very wide ramifications”.

In his four-page letter to the speaker, Chowdhury demanded a re-look at the rules and processes of parliamentary committees, asserting that there is no clear demarcation in the roles envisaged for the Privileges Committee and the Ethics Committee, especially on exercising penal powers.

“If the media reports on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee on choosing to recommend expelling Mohua Moitra from Parliament are right, it would perhaps be the first such recommendation of the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha,” Chowdhury said in his letter to the speaker. “Expulsion from Parliament, you will agree sir, is an extremely serious punishment and has very wide ramifications,” he added.

Chowdhury, who is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said he was expressing his views in his personal capacity.