Cash-for-Query Row: TMC MP Mahua Moitra seeks more time to appear before ethics panel

New Delhi [India]: A day after the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha called Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra to appear before it on October 31, the TMC MP sought more time. The committee has summoned Mahua Moitra over allegations against her in the ‘Cash-for-Query’ scandal.

Mahua Moitra today alleged that Vinod Sonkar, Chairman of the Parliament Ethics Committee announced her summon date on live TV way before the official letter was emailed to her adding that due to pre-scheduled constituency programmes, she wants more time to appear before the committee.

“Chairman, Ethics Committee announced my 31/10 summons on live TV way before an official letter emailed to me at 19:20 hrs. All complaints and suo moto affidavits were also released to the media. I look forward to deposing immediately after my pre-scheduled constituency programmes end on November 4,” the TMC MP posted on X.

The TMC MP also wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Ethics Committee and requested more time to appear before the committee.

“I represent the state of West Bengal where Durga Puja is the biggest festival. I am already committed to attending numerous pre-scheduled Vijaya Dashami Sammelans/meetings (both government and political) in my constituency from October 30 to November 4, 2023, and cannot be in Delhi on October 31, 2023,” the TMC MP said in the letter.

“Therefore, I request to be given time to appear in person before the committee at any date and time of the Committee’s choice after November 5, 2023,” she added.

Moitra also mentioned the example of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who was summoned by the Lok Sabha’s Privileges Committee on October 10 but was later permitted to appear at a later time as per his request.

“As a recent example, Ramesh Biduri, MP who was summoned by the Privileges Committee on October 10, 2023, requested more time since he had pre-fixed political meetings in Rajasthan and was accorded a similar courtesy by this same branch,” she said.

Meanwhile, on Thursday BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who initially levelled the cash-for-query allegation against the TMC MP, appeared before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee to submit oral evidence on their allegations.

“I told the truth before the committee. All members of the committee went about the process of asking questions in a cordial manner. I gave honest answers to all the questions that were put to me,” Advocate Dehadrai told media.

“I will give all the information that the Committee asks me to provide. I will appear before the committee whenever it asks me to. I will submit all the documents, the truth is in the documents,” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey told reporters.

The committee is headed by Sonkar, a BJP MP, and also includes Vishnu Datt Sharma, Sumedhanand Saraswati, Aparajita Sarangi, Rajdeep Roy, Sunita Duggal, and Subhash Bhamre of the BJP; Ve Vaithilingam, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Preneet Kaur of the Congress; Balashowry Vallabbhaneni (YSRCP); Hemant Godse (Shiv Sena); Giridhari Yadav (JD-U); P R Natarajan (CPI-M); and Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP).

The BJP MP earlier wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging the involvement of Mahua Moitra in the ‘cash for query’ scandal.

He claimed that he held evidence as shared by Advocate Dehadrai, which allegedly corroborates the charges against the TMC MP.

In response to Dubey’s letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Trinamool MP had said she would welcome a probe by the Speaker after he had dealt with alleged breaches of privilege by other BJP MPs.