Erroneous, political: Oppn MPs in Moitra dissent note

Five opposition MPs submitted dissent notes against the adoption of a report by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommending the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra from the House in the 'cash-for-query' matter, alleging that it was "erroneous" and framed "purely for political reasons", sources said on Thursday.

In their dissent notes, the opposition members alleged that the inquiry process is a "farce" and a "proverbial kangaroo court".

Five opposition members of the panel -- PR Natarajan (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Danish Ali (Bahujan Samaj Party), Ve Vaithilingam (Congress), Uttam Kumar Reddy (Congress) and Girdhari Yadav (Janata Dal-united) -- submitted dissent notes against the adoption of the committee report.

While Natarajan, Ali, Yadav and Vaithilingam were physically present at the meeting of the ethics panel where the report was adopted, Reddy -- who is contesting the assembly polls in Telangana -- emailed his dissent note.

The sources said the opposition members in their dissent notes said the complaint against Moitra has "no merit, is unfounded and without a shred of evidence, and is being used to malign and defame a Lady Member of the Lok Sabha".

The recommendation is "erroneous" and has been framed "purely for political reasons", the opposition members contended in their notes, which were more or less similar in their content, the sources said.

An opposition member, the sources said, also raised the issue of a news channel accessing the draft report.

The conclusion of this inquiry and this draft report was a "fixed match" from day one, a member was quoted as saying by the sources in his dissent note.

The opposition MPs in their dissent notes asked why a "totally unsubstantiated" allegation without any evidence against an MP by an interested party, with a "previously well known personal animosity and desire for vendetta", was allowed to be forwarded by another MP, with a similar history of animosity, to the committee by the Speaker.

They argued that the first rule of an ethics complaint is it cannot be "false, frivolous, vexatious" and has to be made in good faith.

This will set a dangerous precedent and open up MPs to all sorts of harassment by interested parties in future, they claimed.

On the charge of cash and gifts, the opposition members contended that "no documentary evidence" of any cash or kind in bribe, being either given or taken, was provided by the complainant either in the written complaint or at the oral hearing on October 26.

The opposition members also asked how the committee is recommending "admonishing" Ali for speaking against the "derogatory questioning" of Moitra.

"All of us walked out in protest and it was incumbent upon us to make people aware of the unparliamentary method of enquiry being adopted inside. Kunwar Danish Ali cannot be singled out for breach of Rule 275(2) because you yourself have breached this rule by speaking to the press repeatedly," the opposition members were quoted as saying.

The committee, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, met here and adopted its report recommending Moitra's expulsion. After the meeting, Sonkar told reporters that six members of the panel supported adoption of the report and four opposed it.

Four opposition members said the panel's recommendation was "prejudiced" and "incorrect".

According to sources, suspended Congress MP Preneet Kaur is believed to have voted in support of the report.