'Subjected to Proverbial Vastraharan': Moitra to LS Speaker on Ethics Panel Chief's 'Unethical Behaviour' At Meet

Hours after storming out of the ethics committee’s meeting during a hearing in the “cash for query” matter, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday alleged that she has been subjected to proverbial “vastraharan” by Chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the TMC parliamentarian said the Chairman exhibited a “preconceived bias by maliciously and clearly in a defamatory way” questioning her.

“I write to you in great anguish today to update you on the unethical, sordid, and prejudiced behaviour meted out to me at the hearing of the Ethics Committee by the Chairman. I have been subjected to the proverbial “Vastraharan” by him in the presence of all members of the Committee,” she stated.

The Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar said the committee ought to designate itself under a name other than the Ethics Committee as it has no ethics and morality left.

“Instead of asking questions pertinent to the subject, the Chairman exhibited a preconceived bias by maliciously and clearly in a defamatory way questioning me, so much so that 5 of the 11 members present walked out and boycotted the proceedings in protest at his shameful conduct,” she added.

Moitra appeared before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee today in the alleged ‘cash-for-query’ case and later stormed out of the meeting, saying questions were “scripted and filthy”. However, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who accused Moitra of receiving “bribes” from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament, said that the Trinamool Congress MP tried to peddle a false narrative over the events that happened in the House’s ethics committee.

Filthy Line of Questioning by Panel Chairman: Moitra

In the letter, the TMC leader claimed the Chairman today insisted on following the most sordid line of questioning while reading from a script (no doubt prepared by some interested parties) in which he asked me detailed and extremely personal questions about my private life. “He continued even after being warned multiple times by other members of the Committee to refrain from this filthy line of questioning.”

“On my part, I repeatedly protested on record that while the Chairman was welcome to ask me any question relevant to the enquiry – namely on the login and on those allegations of gifts for which evidence, or rather complete lack of it, existed – he could not ask me detailed personal questions making insinuations about my dignity as a woman,” the MP said.

The Lok Sabha member said it was against her personal dignity and rights to be subjected to this filthy line of questioning by the Chairman who seemed to get vicarious enjoyment from his words and excused myself from the proceedings.

“After more than 2 hours of this sort of questioning, which seemed to get worse with each question, 5 of the Committee members said they would not be party to this “Cheerharan (Disrobing of a woman)” and boycotted the proceedings and walked out. I too placed on record that while I respect the proceedings of the Committee, it was against my personal dignity and rights to be subjected to this filthy line of questioning by the Chairman who seemed to get vicarious enjoyment from his words and excused myself from the proceedings,” read the letter.

Moitra Mentions Gifts Received From Hiranandani

Moitra further said the complainant has provided NO evidence of any cash and the alleged “bribe-giver” Mr. Hiranandani has made NO mention of any cash in his suo-moto affidavit.

“In respect of gifts I have already stated on record publicly and in the Committee that Mr. Hiranandani is a close friend from before I became an MP. The sum total of all gifts I have received from him are–1. One Scarf 2. Some items of make-up 3. Use of car and driver when I have visited Bombay on maybe 4-5 occasions in the past 5 years and maybe twice in Dubai and 4. A set of very basic architectural drawings/advice on making my government accommodation vastu compliant which were then executed by the engineers and contractors of the CPWD (a government unit) with no payment made by Mr. Hiranandani or indeed anyone else apart from the CPWD,” she stated.

Used Help From Hiranandani’s Office in Typing Parl Questions: Moitra

The TMC MP said she has used secretarial help from Hiranandani’s office in typing out “my parliamentary questions (which I would frame myself and send) for submission to the portal”.

“It is important to note that this portal is not the same as the Lok Sabha email or password which I have not shared with anybody hence there is no question of misuse of my official email. No unauthorised, unsupervised submission of questions could be made since my mobile number was the one on which the final OTP was delivered-hence no question could be submitted without my approval or knowledge. Each MP has a large team of people with access to the login portal,” she stated.

She urged the Speaker to give her protection from being subjected to “personal humiliation and malicious conduct”.

“Privacy is a fundamental right as per the judgement of the Supreme Court. Humiliating a female MP by asking irrelevant questions – one of these was for example was on who I speak to at night, how many times and asking for those call details – is a breach of my fundamental right to privacy, apart from being in extremely poor taste,” she stated in the letter.