BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Says Ethics Panel Chief 'Abused' at Mahua Moitra Hearing, Called 'Bihari Goon...'

A day after TMC MP Mahua Moitra wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla claiming that she was subjected to ‘vastraharan’ (proverbial disrobing) during her hearing before the Lok Sbaha ethics committee in the cash-for-query matter, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the parliamentary panel’s chairperson was verbally abused at the meeting.

Dubey on Friday alleged that ethics committee chairperson Vinod Sonkar, who belonged to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), faced abusive and unparliamentary language during the hearing. In a post in Hindi on X, formerly Twitter, he indicated that Moitra has used abuses like “scoundrel”, “Bihari goon” and “Jharkhandi dog” against parliamentarians.

The BJP MP and complainant in the matter accused opposition members of the ethics panel — BSP MP Danish Ali and Congress Lok Sabha member Uttam Reddy — of “supporting” Moitra’s alleged antics at the meeting and said “they, at least, should have played the victim card properly”. He also put out two separate posts against Ali and Reddy, who walked out of the meeting with the TMC MP on Thursday (November 2).

After Moitra appeared before the ethics committee, she alleged that she was subjected to humiliating questions during the hearing and thanked opposition MPs who staged a walkout in protest. In an interview with PTI, she said she was asked irrelevant details about her personal life and that she registered her protest and submitted that she would reply to any relevant question through affidavit.

“You had five members of the committee (out of 11 present) who walked out in protest against the chairman’s behaviour. It was anything but an ethics committee, it was the most unethical hearing possible. While the chairman came with a pre-written script from which he was reading out, which contained the most disgusting, invasive, private details about my personal life, which had nothing to do with the hearing whatsoever,” she alleged.

Responding to Moitra’s allegations, Sonkar said the TMC MP created a ruckus to avoid questions, got angry and used unparliamentary language before storming out of the meeting. He said she was now creating a “false narrative” that the committee asked her “filthy” and “unbecoming” questions, and that she had done this to avoid the interrogation into her alleged unethical conduct as a Lok Sabha member.

“The aim was to investigate charges of unethical conduct against Mahua Moitra, but she created a ruckus to avoid questions, shouted, got angry, used unparliamentary language while leaving,” Sonkar said.

He further said Moitra did not behave in a manner expected of a Lok Sabha member and, seeing the charges against her, she should have cooperated with the panel. Reacting to allegations of bias and asked if the proceedings of the meeting were being selectively leaked as claimed by opposition members, Sonkar said, “I can only say, we have some moral obligations to adhere to as an ethics committee. She has not cooperated from Day 1 in the probe against her, but has tried to pressure the committee with her indecent antics.”

Moitra has been accused of asking questions, which were keyed in through her parliamentary account, at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani. It was also alleged that she shared her login credentials with the Dubai-based businessman. The complaint against Moitra was filed by Dubey.

(With PTI inputs)