Cash-for-query case: Mamata Banerjee breaks silence, says 'Mahua Moitra's expulsion being planned, but ... '

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday made her first remarks in the cash-for-query case which involves her party MP Mahua Moitra. The Trinamool MP from Krishnanagar in West Bengal has been accused of seeking bribes to ask questions in Parliament targeting the Adani Group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
Breaking her long silence on the issue, Mamata Banerjee said"After the arrest of party leaders in different cases, the expulsion of MP Mahua Moitra is being planned. But this would eventually help her before the elections."
The Trinamool Congress has already come out in support of the embattled MP. Mamata's nephew and party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had expressed solidarity with Mahua and had labelled the Centre's move as "vendetta politics." He accused the BJP of attempting to stifle voices critical of the central government.
"Whoever is questioning the government on the Adani issue is being harassed. How can the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee take any action against Moitra even before the allegations are proven against her?" Banerjee had said ahead of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee meeting.
The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has recommended Mahua Moitra's expulsion after a hearing which was marked by walkout by the opposition members of the panel. The opposition members had accused the panel chairman Vijay Sonkar of asking personal questions to the Trinamool MP.
'India would have won World Cup if ... '
Mamata also targeted the BJP leadership and alleged that attempts were being to "saffronise" the country's cricket team.
"They are trying to paint the entire country saffron. We are proud of our Indian players, and I believe that we would have won the World Cup if the finals had taken place in Kolkata or Wankhede (in Mumbai)," she said.
"They even tried to saffronise the team by introducing saffron practice jerseys. The players resisted, and as a result, they did not have to wear those jerseys during the matches," she added.
Continuing her attack on the BJP, Banerjee said that wherever sinners go, they take along their sins.
"The Indian team played so well that they won all the matches in the World Cup, except the one attended by the sinners," she said, without naming anyone.
'Central agencies targeting opposition will be after BJP post-2024 polls'
The West Bengal chief minister claimed that the central agencies which were targeting the opposition leaders at present will go after the BJP following the 2024 elections. "This government at the Centre is there for three more months," she added.
(With inputs from agencies)