Trinamul MP Mahua Moitra responded in trademark feisty fashion to reports on Wednesday night that the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has purportedly recommended her expulsion from the lower House for “unethical conduct” and “Contempt of the House”, saying the move would only spur her to fight harder.
“I have 30 years of political life left. If I have to spend the next five years in the trenches fighting them, so be it. I will wear my expulsion like a badge of honour,” an unapologetic Moitra said, speaking to The Telegraph from Krishnagar, her Lok Sabha seat.
The ethics panel report was claimed to have been exclusively “accessed” late on Wednesday evening by the NDTV network, now owned by the Adani group. “Glad to see Adani TV Has a copy of the Unethical Standing Committee report BEFORE it is placed before the committee tomorrow…,” Moitra tweeted soon after NDTV had aired its “scoop”.
Trinamul has not spoken its mind on the controversy yet and should Moitra’s expulsion come about, it’s moot how the party will respond.
Earlier, Moitra was spotted kicking a football in Nadia, hours after the BJP’s Nishikant Dubey had posted on X that anti-corruption body Lokpal had ordered a CBI probe into the corruption allegations against her.
“I was at a seven-a-side football tournament in my constituency where 16 teams took part.... I also played a bit and scored a goal,” Moitra told The Telegraph over phone from Nakashipara, around 140km from Calcutta, in Nadia.
Moitra again trained her guns on Dubey, who has been in the line of her fire for allegedly faking his educational qualification, besides making a sarcastic reference to the anti-corruption body, which, many think, has not lived up to its expectations.
“Am extremely happy to know that the Lokpal is alive and well. But I wish for the sake of democracy that the Lokpal office, if at all functioning, puts out its own press releases for it to be credible. When the source faked his own degrees and lied on his election affidavit, not much credibility can be attached to his announcements,” Moitra said.
Moitra's comment was in reference to Dubey’s post on X in which he wrote about the purported CBI inquiry. There was, however, no official word from the Lokpal.
Sources close to Moitra, an investment banker-turned-politician who is battling allegations that she asked questions in the Lok Sabha to target the Adani group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for money, said the news of the purported CBI probe didn’t seem to bother her as she remained busy with a slew of political and outreach programmes in her constituency.
In the morning, Moitra presided over the formation of the Sthayee Samiti of the panchayat samiti in Krishnagar-I block. Later, she held two public meetings at Dhubulia and Shondanga in Nadia and proceeded to attend the football tournament.
The buzz that the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee would adopt its draft report on the cash-for-query allegations on Thursday and was likely to recommend her expulsion from the lower House also didn’t dampen Moitra’s spirits, said a source.
“I have 30-plus years of political life left in me and I will use every waking moment to expose the biggest fraud being run on the people of India by Adani with Modiji’s blessings. I say to the BJP — bring it on. You are destroying our country and its soul.... Your... corruption has crossed all limits. I will not rest till we see the end of you. All your CBIs and all your pitbulls do nothing to us. I belong to Mamata Banerjee’s party,” Moitra said.
Earlier, she wrote on X that the CBI should first file an FIR to probe the alleged coal scam by the Adani group. She also wrote: “For the media calling me — my answer: 1. CBI needs to first file FIR on Rs 13,000 crore Adani coal scam. 2. National security issue is how dodgy FPI owned (inc Chinese & UAE ) Adani firms buying Indian ports & airports with the Home Minister office’s clearance. Then CBI welcome to come, count my shoes.”
