Mahua Moitra's Lok Sabha expulsion will make her more popular: Mamata Banerjee

Breaking her silence on the "cash-for-query" allegation against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC.

"Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing her of taking bribes for asking questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the allegation against Moitra to the speaker's office earlier this month.

The report, adopted by a majority in the Committee, recommended Moitra's expulsion from the House, accusing her of accepting "illegal gratifications" to raise questions in Parliament at the behest of the businessman.

Moitra, in response, dismissed the decision as a "prefixed match by a kangaroo court" and deemed it a "death of parliamentary democracy".