Amit Shah accuses TMC MPs of bringing disgrace to Parliament

PTI, Nov 29, 2023, 5:03 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an apparent reference to Mahua Moitra’s cash-for-query case, asserted on Wednesday that TMC MPs have compromised the dignity of Parliament by accepting bribes and gifts.

While addressing a mega rally in Kolkata, Shah called for the removal of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the 2026 assembly polls, setting the stage for this initiative in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

”Even TMC MPs have tarnished the dignity of Parliament. Can MPs who seek gifts and bribes in exchange for questions contribute positively to West Bengal? The TMC has stained West Bengal’s reputation due to corruption,” Shah stated without explicitly naming anyone.

Shah’s comments come after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee last week suggested that the BJP was planning to expel Moitra from Parliament, contending that such action would benefit the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had last month submitted a complaint against the TMC member, accusing her of accepting bribes for posing questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, led by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the allegations against Moitra to the Speaker’s office earlier this month. The report, endorsed by a majority in the Committee, recommended Moitra’s expulsion from the House, accusing her of accepting ”illegal gratifications” to raise questions in Parliament at the businessman’s behest.

In response, Moitra dismissed the decision as a ”pre-fixed match by a kangaroo court” and deemed it a ”death of parliamentary democracy”.