LS Ethics panel to meet Thursday to adopt report on cash-for-query allegation against Mahua Moitra

New Delhi: The Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha will meet on Thursday to adopt a draft report on the cash-for-query allegation against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Moitra, accusing her of asking questions in Lok Sabha to target the Adani Group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for gifts. The 15-member committee has seven members from the BJP, three from the Congress, and one each from BSP, Shiv Sena, YSRCP, CPI(M) and JDU. The committee is likely to take a grim view of the charges against Moitra, more so after she accused its chief Vijay Sonkar of asking filthy and personal questions to her in the last meeting before walking out in a rage along with opposition members.

There are indications that the committee may make a recommendation against Moitra in its report to Speaker Birla amid a possibility of dissent notes from opposition members. So far, the draft report has not been circulated to the members of the committee, sources in the opposition said. Congress sources said its members N Uttam Kumar Reddy and V Vaithilingam will submit dissent notes. BSP member Kunwar Danish Ali is also set to submit his dissent note.

All five opposition members who attended the November 2 meeting walked out of the proceedings, alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to her regarding her travels, hotel stay and telephone calls. In a related but separate development, Dubey on Wednesday said the Lokpal has ordered a CBI probe against Moitra on his complaint of alleged corruption by her. Hitting back, Moitra said the CBI needs to first file an FIR on Rs 13,000 crore Adani coal "scam". "National security issue is how dodgy foreign portfolio investor (FPI) owned (inc Chinese & UAE ) Adani firms buying Indian ports & airports ... Then CBI welcome to come, count my shoes," she posted on X. The ethics panel was scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider and adopt its draft report but the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday.

On Tuesday, Moitra had claimed that the meeting was postponed to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by a majority, prompting a sharp retort from Dubey. Moitra claimed that no draft report of the committee was circulated to the members and that the BJP leaders were reaching out to allies to ensure their attendance to adopt the report by majority. Dubey took a dig at the Trinamool Congress MP contending that it was her guilty conscience that was leading her to worry about the proceedings of the parliamentary panel.