Former Investment Banker Expelled from Lok Sabha as MP

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra Expelled from Lok Sabha over ‘Cash for Query’ Case

New Delhi: Mahua Moitra, a member of the Trinamool Congress, was expelled from the Lok Sabha today following a discussion on the report of the Parliament’s ethics committee regarding the ‘cash for query’ case. The House found her guilty of sharing her Parliament account credentials and accepting gifts in exchange for asking critical questions about the Narendra Modi government.

Speaker Om Birla announced, “This House accepts the conclusions of the committee that Mahua Moitra’s conduct was immoral and indecent as an MP. So, it is not appropriate for her to continue as an MP.”

During the heated debate in the Lok Sabha, Moitra was not given an opportunity to speak. However, she read out her statement outside the House, claiming that the parliamentary ethics committee had violated every rule and predicting harassment from the CBI in the future.

From Banker to Politician

Before entering politics, the 49-year-old Mahua Moitra worked as an investment banker. She resigned as vice-president at JPMorgan Chase in London in 2009 to join the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party. Moitra was regarded as one of Rahul Gandhi’s trusted aides in the “Aam Admi ke sipahi” project.

After a brief stint with the Congress, she joined the Trinamool Congress in 2010. Despite criticism from some party members who considered her too “urbane,” Moitra contested and won the Karimpur seat in the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections. Known as the urban version of Mamata Banerjee, the feisty Chief Minister of Bengal, she was then given a Lok Sabha ticket from Krisnanagar in 2019, which she won against her Bharatiya Janata Party rival, Kalyan Chaubey.

Expulsion Condemned as Betrayal of Parliamentary Democracy

Shortly after her expulsion, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, condemned the move as a betrayal of India’s parliamentary democracy. She stated, “It is a shame for parliamentary democracy. We condemn the way Mahua Moitra was expelled; the party stands with her. They (the BJP) can’t defeat us in the election, so they have resorted to vendetta politics. It is a sad day and the betrayal of Indian parliamentary democracy.”

Details of the ‘Cash-for-Query’ Case Against Mahua Moitra

The ‘cash-for-query’ allegations against Mahua Moitra surfaced in October after Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, whom Moitra referred to as “a jilted ex,” filed a complaint with the CBI. The complaint was later forwarded to the Lok Sabha, alleging corruption and money laundering.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who accused Moitra of accepting bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking critical questions about PM Modi and Gautam Adani in Parliament, requested her immediate suspension. Hiranandani subsequently submitted an affidavit alleging that Moitra had shared her parliamentary credentials with him to post questions targeting the Adani Group and PM Modi.

Moitra has denied all the charges against her but admitted to sharing her login credentials with Hiranandani and receiving gifts, including a scarf, lipsticks, and eye shadow. The Ethics Panel of Parliament summoned Dubey and Dehadrai in the case, followed by Moitra. However, she defied the summons while demanding the opportunity to cross-examine Hiranandani.

Finally, on November 2, Moitra appeared before the committee but walked out shortly after. Six out of ten members of the Ethics Committee voted to adopt the 479-page report, while the remaining four members from opposition parties dissented. The report was presented in the House on Friday, and the government subsequently moved a motion to expel Moitra, deeming her continuation as an MP untenable.