'BJP wanted to silence me, public silenced them': Mahua Moitra takes a sharp dig at Modi-led govt

Trinamool Congress leader and Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has sharply criticized the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the recent elections, where the BJP secured 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark. Moitra, representing the Krishnanagar constituency in West Bengal, highlighted that while the BJP previously attempted to silence her in the Lok Sabha, the electorate has now silenced the BJP by reducing its number of seats.

"The last time I stood here, I was not allowed to speak. But the ruling party has paid a very heavy price for throttling the voice of one MP. They wanted to silence me, but the public permanently silenced 63 members from BJP," Moitra asserted.

Moitra also asserted today that he government, due to the BJP's minority status, is not stable and because of its dependency on allies, it can collapse any day.

Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December 2023 after being implicated in a "cash-for-query" scandal. The Ethics Committee found her guilty of accepting gifts and cash from a businessman in exchange for posing specific questions in Parliament aimed at challenging the Modi government. This was deemed a serious breach of parliamentary privilege and conduct.

Denying the allegations, Moitra has labeled the Ethics Committee's report as biased and politically motivated. She is exploring several legal avenues to contest her expulsion, including appealing to the Supreme Court or High Court on grounds of natural justice and procedural fairness, questioning the Ethics Committee's jurisdiction and conduct, and pursuing her defamation suit to challenge the accusations.