Following the adoption of its Ethics Committee report, which found Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to advance his interests, she was ousted from the Lok Sabha on Friday. The lower house engaged in a contentious debate over the panel’s report. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi proposed a motion to expel the Trinamool member for “unethical conduct,” which received approval through a voice vote.
The Ethics Committee report, citing “unethical conduct” and contempt of the House, found Mahua Moitra guilty of sharing her Lok Sabha credentials. User ID and Password of Lok Sabha Member’s Portal with unauthorised persons. Causing an irreparable impact on national security. Mahua Moitra, who represented the Krishnanagar parliamentary constituency of West Bengal after winning the 2019 election, faced expulsion from the Lok Sabha. This incident echoes a historical precedent, as in 2005. Then Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee moved a motion to expel 10 members. The Lok Sabha introduced the report on the same day.
#WATCH | Delhi: Opposition parties MPs including TMC MP Mahua Moitra and BSP MP Danish Ali, walked out from the Parliament Ethics Committee meeting.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra appeared before the Parliament Ethics Committee in connection with the 'cash for query' charge against her. pic.twitter.com/EkwYLPnD1O
— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2023
my speech on the steps of parliament today pic.twitter.com/pe0MyJf3Af
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) December 8, 2023
List of Members of Parliament who have faced expulsion from the Parliament before Mahua Moitra
- HG Mudgal: In 1951, the Congress MP became the first-ever Member of Parliament to be expelled. He resigned following allegations of accepting money for parliamentary favours.
- Indira Gandhi: The parliament expelled former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Based on a resolution presented by then-PM Morarji Desai on December 14, 1978. The house voted with 279 in favour and 138 against. This made Indira Gandhi the first former Prime Minister charged with a breach of privilege in a democracy.
- Subramanian Swamy: Jan Sangh leader Subramanian Swamy faced expulsion. From the Rajya Sabha in 1976 during the Emergency for his derogatory conduct.
- Cash for Query Scandal (2005): In 2005, the Lok Sabha expelled 10 members, including Annasahed M K Patil, Y G Mahajan, Suresh Chandel, Pradeep Gandhi, Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP), Narendra Kumar Kushwaha, Lal Chandra Kol, Rajaram Pal (BSP), and Manoj Kumar, Ramsevak Singh (Congress). The camera caught them accepting money for raising questions in the House.
- Chhatrapal Singh Lodha: Lodha from Orissa got expelled due to his involvement in the 2005 cash-for-question scandal. From the Rajya Sabha based on Ethics Committee recommendations.
- Vijay Mallya: Independent MP from Karnataka, Vijay Mallya, faced expulsion from the Rajya Sabha. After a parliamentary panel unanimously recommended action related to his alleged loan default of over Rs 9,400 crore.
- Rahul Gandhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi faced expulsion from the Lok Sabha. A day after a trial court in Surat found him guilty of criminal defamation. After making a ‘Modi surname’ remark before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he received a two-year jail term. Nonetheless, in August, the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the defamation case, leading to the restoration of his Lok Sabha membership.
When The Parliament expelled 11 MPs in a single day
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Hina Gavit responded to the backlash regarding the move against Moitra by stating, “In 2005, during the UPA government, a report was submitted, resulting in the expulsion of 10 Lok Sabha members on the same day.”
A sting operation carried out by online news portal Cobrapost and broadcasted on a private television channel. Revealed that 11 MPs received cash in return for posing questions in the Parliament. In a vote on December 24, 2005, the Parliament opted to expel all 11 MPs. Pranab Mukherjee, the leader of the house in the Lok Sabha, presented the resolution. And Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha, and it received approval.
The implicated MPs comprised six from the BJP, three from the BSP, and one each from the RJD and Congress. They were Y G Mahajan (BJP), Chhatarpal Singh Lodha from the RS (BJP), Anna Saheb M K Patil (BJP), Manoj Kumar (RJD), Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP), Ram Sewak Singh (Congress), Narender Kumar Kushwaha (BSP), Pradeep Gandhi (BJP), Suresh Chandel (BJP), Lal Chandra Kol (BSP), and Raja Rampal (BSP).
During the vote, LK Advani, the leader of the Opposition, withdrew, labeling it a “kangaroo court.” In January 2007, the Supreme Court affirmed Parliament’s decision to expel the MPs.
Read more: AIIMS Delhi: Sonu Sood gives aid to a boy struggling for his father heart surgery
