Soon after her expulsion from the Lok Sabha, Moitra speaks to the media; Opposition leaders, including Congress’s Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, stand with her in solidarity
AMN / WEB DESK
Soon after after her expulsion from the Lok Sabha, Trinamul Congress leader Mahua Moitra lashed out at the BJP for “disregarding the due process” of natural justice and “abusing every tenet” of law in meting out her punishment of the alleged cash-for-questions imbroglio.
Moitra, surrounded in solidarity by leaders of the Opposition INDIA camp including Congress’s Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, stood on the steps of the New Parliament building for the last time in the term of the 17th Lok Sabha even as she hit at the Narendra Modi government.
“If this Modi government thought that by shutting me up they could do away with the Adani issue, let me tell you this that this kangaroo court has only shown to all of India that the haste and the abuse of due process you have used demonstrates how important Adani is to you. And to what length you will go to harass a single woman MP into shutting her into submission…” she told reporters outside Parliament.
What Mahua said after her expulsion
- There is no evidence of any cash, or any gifts anywhere.
- The recommendation of expulsion is based solely on the ground that I have shared my Lok Sabha portal login. There are no rules whatsoever to govern the sharing of logins. As the hearing of the ethics committee demonstrates, all of us MPs are conveyor belts to get questions from the public, from citizens and to voice that in Parliament.
- What’s important is that if this Modi-government thought that by shutting me up, they are going to do away with the Adani issue, let me tell you that this kangaroo court has shown to all of India that the haste and the abuse of due process you have used demonstrates how important Mr Adani is to you and to what lengths you would go to harass a woman MP into shutting her into submission.
- Tomorrow the CBI will be sent to my house, I am sure. And they will harass me for the next six months. But I would like to ask what about the Rs 13,000 crore coal scam of Mr Adani which the CBI and the ED have not found a place to look at.
- You tell me that I have compromised national security with a portal login? Mr Adani is buying all our ports, all our airports and his shareholders are foreign professional investors and the ministry of home affairs is giving them clearance to buy all our infrastructure.
- Ramesh Biduri stands up in Parliament and says to Danish Ali, who is one of just 26 Muslim MPs in a country of 200 million Muslims – the BJP has 303 MPs and has not sent one Muslim to Parliament – and tells him ‘yeh bhadwa, yeh katwa‘. (Yet)no action has been taken.
- You (the BJP) hate minorities, you hate women, you detest nari shakti and cannot handle (them wielding) power and authority
- I am 49 years old (now). I will fight you for the next 30 years inside and outside Parliament, in the gutter, on the streets. Adeem Hingsra Manabikatar Jodi Ami keu Hoi, Swajan Harano Shamashane Toder Chita Ami Tulboi (Sukanta Bhattacharya poem). We will see the end of you.
- Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkal, Banga… You don’t have Punjab, Sindh is not ours. Dravid, Utkal and Banga are not yours. Where do you think you are going to rule us? Where do you think you are going to get this brute majority from?
- The ethics committee has no power to expel. You have assumed the powers of a quasi judicial authority and imposed a penalty on me that you have no power to do. You have disregarded due process, proportionality and abused every tenet.
- This the beginning of your end. Jab Naash Manush Par Chhata Hai, Tab Pehle Vivek Mar Jata Hai. We are going to come back and we are going to see the end of you.