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NEW DELHI: Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, a member of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, has written to panel chairman Vinod Sonkar on Tuesday, asking him to further defer the next meeting of the committee slated for November 9.
Saying that he is filing his nomination for the Telengana assembly polls on November 9, Reddy has requested the next meeting to rescheduled.
“I had received communication that the Ethics committee meeting on Smt Mahua Moitra issue for consideration/adoption of report would be held on November 7. Then suddenly and inexplicably the date is changed to November 9. As I am filing my nomination for the Telengana Assembly elections 09th November, I request you to kindly postpone the meeting to any other date,” Reddy wrote in his short letter.
Meanwhile Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra claimed on Tuesday that the meeting of the Ethics Committee was postponed to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by a majority, prompting a sharp retort from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
On his part Dubey, whose complaint against Moitra to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led to the Ethics Committee proceedings, took a dig at the TMC member contending that it was her guilty conscience that was leading her to worry about the proceedings of the parliamentary panel.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, to consider and adopt its draft report on the cash-for-query allegations against Moitra. The meeting was postponed to November 9.
Moitra claimed that no draft report of the committee was circulated to the members and that the BJP leaders were reaching out to allies to ensure their attendance to adopt the report by majority. “No draft report circulated as is the norm but will be ‘adopted’ on Nov 9. Meeting postponed to clash with INC MP’s nomination date so he can’t come. BJP calling allies to ensure attendance to adopt via majority. Chartered flight to fly in MP state president. How scared Adani & Modi are,” she posted on X.
Reacting to Moitra, Dubey posted on X, “What is there to fear about who will attend the Ethics Committee? Or whether the paper was circulated? What is in the report? Does this reflect fear or should we say that guilt conscience pricks the mind? One should be patient.”
Opposition members are expected to submit dissent notes to the committee.
Congress sources said, its members Reddy and V Vaithilingam will submit dissent notes. BSP MP Danish Ali is also set 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.
BJP members are in a majority in the 15-member committee which is likely to take a grim view of the charges against Moitra, more so after she accused Sonkar of asking “filthy and personal questions” to her in the last meeting before walking out in a rage along with opposition members.
All five opposition members who attended the November 2 meeting walked out of the proceedings, alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to her regarding her travels, hotel stay and telephone calls. Moitra later alleged that she was subjected to a “proverbial vastraharan” at the meeting.
The decision of Moitra, who appeared before the panel as a subject of enquiry and thus lacked the privileges bestowed on its members, to walk out of the meeting is likely to be taken up critically by the committee in its report.
Saying that he is filing his nomination for the Telengana assembly polls on November 9, Reddy has requested the next meeting to rescheduled.
“I had received communication that the Ethics committee meeting on Smt Mahua Moitra issue for consideration/adoption of report would be held on November 7. Then suddenly and inexplicably the date is changed to November 9. As I am filing my nomination for the Telengana Assembly elections 09th November, I request you to kindly postpone the meeting to any other date,” Reddy wrote in his short letter.
Meanwhile Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra claimed on Tuesday that the meeting of the Ethics Committee was postponed to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by a majority, prompting a sharp retort from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
On his part Dubey, whose complaint against Moitra to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led to the Ethics Committee proceedings, took a dig at the TMC member contending that it was her guilty conscience that was leading her to worry about the proceedings of the parliamentary panel.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, to consider and adopt its draft report on the cash-for-query allegations against Moitra. The meeting was postponed to November 9.
Moitra claimed that no draft report of the committee was circulated to the members and that the BJP leaders were reaching out to allies to ensure their attendance to adopt the report by majority. “No draft report circulated as is the norm but will be ‘adopted’ on Nov 9. Meeting postponed to clash with INC MP’s nomination date so he can’t come. BJP calling allies to ensure attendance to adopt via majority. Chartered flight to fly in MP state president. How scared Adani & Modi are,” she posted on X.
Reacting to Moitra, Dubey posted on X, “What is there to fear about who will attend the Ethics Committee? Or whether the paper was circulated? What is in the report? Does this reflect fear or should we say that guilt conscience pricks the mind? One should be patient.”
Opposition members are expected to submit dissent notes to the committee.
Congress sources said, its members Reddy and V Vaithilingam will submit dissent notes. BSP MP Danish Ali is also set 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.
BJP members are in a majority in the 15-member committee which is likely to take a grim view of the charges against Moitra, more so after she accused Sonkar of asking “filthy and personal questions” to her in the last meeting before walking out in a rage along with opposition members.
All five opposition members who attended the November 2 meeting walked out of the proceedings, alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to her regarding her travels, hotel stay and telephone calls. Moitra later alleged that she was subjected to a “proverbial vastraharan” at the meeting.
The decision of Moitra, who appeared before the panel as a subject of enquiry and thus lacked the privileges bestowed on its members, to walk out of the meeting is likely to be taken up critically by the committee in its report.
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