New Delhi: Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, member of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee probing ‘cash for query’ allegations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, on Tuesday wrote to panel chairman Vinod Sonkar calling for its next meeting to be held in November.
Saying that he was ready to file his nomination for the Telangana Assembly elections on November 9, Reddy requested that the next meeting be rescheduled.
“I was informed that the Ethics Committee meeting to adopt views/report on Mahua Moitra issue will be held on 7th November. Then suddenly and inexplicably the date was changed to 9th November. Because I am filing my nomination for Telangana Assembly elections ” November 9, I request you to please adjourn the meeting to some other date,” Reddy wrote in his letter.
Meanwhile, Mahua claimed that the committee meeting was adjourned to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by majority vote, to which BJP MP Nishikant Dubey reacted sharply.
On his part, Dubey, whose complaint against Moitra to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla triggered the Ethics Committee proceedings, took a dig at the TMC member, saying it was his guilt that prompted him to worry about the panel proceedings. Was inspiring.
The TMC MP claimed that no draft report of the committee was distributed to the members and the BJP leader was contacting colleagues to ensure their presence to adopt the report with a majority vote. “The meeting was postponed due to conflict of nomination date of the Congress MP so he could not come. BJP called allies to ensure majority presence. State President will fly chartered plane in MP. How scared Adani and Modi are,” Mahua posted on X.
Responding to Moitra, Dubey posted on Twitter, “Who will join the ethics committee, what is there to fear? Or was the paper circulated? What’s in the report? Does it reflect fear or should we say that guilt pricks the mind? One must be patient.”
Opposition members are expected to submit dissent notes to the committee.
Congress sources said its members Reddy and V Vaithilingam would submit dissent notes. BSP MP Danish Ali is also ready to submit his dissent note.
The 15-member committee has seven members from BJP, three from Congress and one each from BSP, Shiv Sena, YSRCP, CPM and JDU.
Opposition members walked out of the November 2 meeting alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to Mahua regarding his visit, hotel stay and telephone calls. Moitra later alleged that she faced a “proverbial disrobing” at the meeting.