The only norm that the Lok Sabha MP has followed is to defy the powers that be. In doing so, she has ruffled feathers, and some would say that she has done so even within her own party. Faced with the toughest challenge of her political career so far, Moitra is fighting back fiercely. The same combativeness is well evident in her exclusive interview with THE WEEK where she says that she has nothing to hide and that the Ethics Committee acted like a kangaroo court. Edited excerpts:
Q/ The Ethics Committee has finalised its report which will come to the Lok Sabha, dominated by the BJP. If they expel you, what will be your first step?
A/ In this case, there is no mention of any cash. Although the fake complaint talks about cash, the so-called corroborating affidavit makes no mention of it. So where is the bloody cash? About these gifts, there is a very vague paragraph in the corroborating affidavit. This person who is the alleged bribe giver is an Indian citizen, he is equally culpable of bribing a public servant. So where is the list of gifts? Why was this person not called by the Ethics Committee? The only gifts on the table are the ones that I have spoken about, which is one birthday present and two lipsticks.
The recommendations of the Ethics Committee are laughable. Number one is to expel, number two is to ask an agency to investigate. So if you have not found any evidence, how do you ask for someone’s expulsion? The Ethics Committee cannot expel an MP, only a special committee or a Privileges Committee can. This is a kangaroo court. Let the expulsion happen and I will then let people know what I am going to do next.
Q/ You have the option of filing a writ petition.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 26, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 26, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
