‘Truly disgraceful’: Shashi Tharoor on Ethics Committee report recommending expulsion of Mahua Moitra

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the Ethics Committee’s report on TMC MP Mahua Moitra “incredibly inadequate”. Tharoor said that the committee adopted the report in “two and a half minutes” and said that no proper procedure was followed. The INDIA Alliance is convinced that it is a political vendetta and called it “truly disappointing”. The committee, on Friday, recommended the expulsion of Moitra from the seventeenth Lok Sabha as well as an “intense, legal, institutional” inquiry by the government on Moitra’s “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct”. 

Reacting to the report, Tharoor told news agency ANI, "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 be arrived at without serious consideration is truly disgraceful. The 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.” 

Tharoor also raised certain questions and asked what the difference between the privileges committee that has recommended expulsions in the past and the ethics committee is. He said that there was a discussion with the speaker asking for a full-fledged debate before a major decision like this is taken. Tharoor said that floor leaders came back saying there was neither any agreement on the floor discussion nor an agreement on Moitra being given a chance to defend herself before she is expelled from the House.

“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. Truly disappointing,” said Tharoor. 

Meanwhile, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has asked for at least three days from Speaker Om Birla to study and prepare themselves for discussion of the report. “Considering the seriousness and importance of the matter, I would request that members may be given sufficient time of 3 to 4 days at least to study the report and prepare themselves for the discussion in the House. I would therefore request you to fix a day and time at least 3 days from now, for taking up the discussion on the Ethics Committee report,” he said.

The Ethics Committee also recommended an investigation by the government on the money trail of the transaction between the TMC MP and businessman Darshan Hiranandani as part of a quid pro quo. 

Also read: Cash-for-query case: Lok Sabha's Ethics panel report recommends Mahua Moitra's expulsion as MP