Citing Mahua Moitra panel progress, BSP MP Danish Ali asks why he has not been heard yet

Pointing out that he had given a notice against Bidhuri on September 22, alleging the BJP MP’s use of defamatory and abusive words against him, Ali wrote: “The established procedure requires that the complainant member is called before the Privileges Committee in the first instance and, thereafter only, the member / accused person is called for evidence. However, in contravention of all set norms, the member who is accused of unbecoming remarks against me appears to have been called, and it is proved by the fact that I have not been called by the committee to place my position till now.”

Ali added that “the Ethics Committee appears to have followed the proper procedural practice”. “I request you to consider the prevailing contraventions of procedures and urge upon you to direct the concerned officials to call me for giving my evidence before the committee in the first instance so as to enable me to put the facts straight on record,” he wrote to Birla.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that while Bidhuri had failed to appear before the privileges panel in person, being away in Tonk, Rajasthan, for election work, he said he had deposed virtually.

In the case of Moitra, the contents of the affidavit submitted by businessman Darshan Hiranandani to the Ethics Committee in connection with the charges against her have come into the public domain. In his affidavit, a copy of which was released by the Hiranandani business group, Darshan claimed that Moitra gave him access to her Parliament login ID and password, to directly raise questions in the House, in return for favours from him.

Ali said in his letter: “… it is very painful to learn from media sources that chairman of the (Ethics) committee has openly spoken to the media stating that he has received an affidavit in connection with a complaint of alleged ethical misconduct against Mahua Moitra, MP.” The Ethics Committee is headed by BJP MP Vinod Sonkar.

He called this “flagrant violations of parliamentary procedures in matters related to breach of privilege and ethical misconduct”.

Moitra posted on X on Friday: “Chairman of Ethics Committee only speaks to media. Please see Lok Sabha rules… How does ‘affidavit’ finds its way to media? Chairman should first do enquiry into how it was leaked.”