Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra, a prominent leader of the Trinamool Congress, has been ousted from Parliament as a consequence of an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of ‘cash for query’ against her. The inquiry probed into charges asserting that Ms. Moitra, 49, accepted bribes, including ₹2 crore in cash and opulent gift items, from businessman Darshan Hiranandani. These alleged transactions were purportedly made in return for posing questions critical of the government during parliamentary sessions.
Furthermore, Ms. Moitra faced accusations of relinquishing her log-in credentials for her personal and confidential parliamentary website account. It was alleged that this action allowed Mr. Hiranandani to directly post questions using her identity. Despite being a vocal critic of the Modi government, Ms. Moitra refuted the bribery allegations. However, she acknowledged sharing her log-in details.
In the wake of the Ethics Committee’s findings, Ms. Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha reflects the gravity of the charges brought against her, impacting her standing as an elected representative in the parliamentary body.
