The Lok Sabha ethics committee meeting to adopt its draft report on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitrahas been postponed to November 9. It was scheduled to meet on November 7. The Lok Sabha secretariat, in a notice, did not cite any reason for rescheduling the meeting.
The committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, has finished its inquiry and will make its recommendation after its members ranged along party lines in the last meeting on November 2. BJP members are in a majority in the 15-member committee which is likely to take a grim view of the charges against Mahua, more so after she accused Sonkar of asking “filthy and personal” questions to her in the last meeting before walking out in a rage.
Sonkar had alleged that Mahua made baseless allegations to avoid questions based on the affidavits given to the committee. There are indications the committee may make a recommendation against her to Speaker Om Birla amid a possibility of dissent notes from opposition members. Mahua has been accused of asking questions in Lok Sabha to target the Adani group at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for bribes.