Shortly after Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha – over allegations she took bribes, including Rs 2 crore in cash, from a businessman – Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali held a one-man protest outside Parliament to demand justice for his ex-colleague.
Mr Ali – a fiercely vocal dissenting member of the Ethics Committee that said “allegations of (Ms Moitra) accepting illegal gratification (are) clearly established and are undeniable – was seen with a placard hung around his neck – a poster that said “don’t turn (the) victim into (the) culprit”.
“I’ve put this (poster) because the committee also mentioned me in its recommendation… because I want to bring her justice. She wasn’t given an opportunity…” Mr Ali told news agency ANI.
READ | Mahua Moitra Expelled From Parliament Over Cash-For-Query Row
“On one side, the whole world saw how Ramesh Bidhuri (a BJP Lok Sabha MP) acted… was there no sense of honour or decorum in Parliament then? Why now? What is this?” a furious Mr Ali asked.
#WATCH | On the expulsion of TMC’s Mahua Moitra as a Member of the Lok Sabha, BSP MP Danish Ali says, “I’ve put this (poster) because the committee also mentioned me in its recommendation because I want to bring her justice…She wasn’t given an opportunity…” pic.twitter.com/hYVouMWYXU
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2023
Apart from batting for Ms Moitra from within the Ethics Committee, Mr Ali has also been in the news after being at the receiving end of shocking communal slurs from Mr Bidhuri.
“Decorum in Parliament died in September… it was bombed when Ramesh Bidhuri made those comments. And now they are saying this? Today, (Mahatma) Gandhi and Ambedkar are crying.”
Danish Ali has been very critical of the Ethics Committee’s handling of Ms Moitra’s case.
Last month, soon after the committee voted (narrowly, 6:4) to recommend her expulsion, he red-flagged what he said were “procedural errors” in the entire process. The committee’s Chairman, BJP MP Vinod Sonkar, insisted due process was followed but “some people wanted to obstruct…”
READ | “Over In Minutes”: Danish Ali On Mahua Moitra Report, Committee Head Says…
The committee’s report was presented before the Lok Sabha this morning.
After a brief but frantic hour of discussion in the afternoon, Ms Moitra was expelled via a voice vote.
Denied an opportunity to speak in the House – the Speaker cited precedent from a 2005 case – Ms Moitra spoke to reporters outside and slammed the Ethics Committee for “breaking every rule”.
Mr Ali’s “don’t turn (the) victim into (the) culprit” poster referred to a letter he wrote to Mr Birla last month in which he alleged attempts were made to turn the victim (himself) into an accused.
He was referring to slurs hurled by Mr Bidhuri and declarations afterwards, by BJP MPs, that their colleague was provoked by his “objectionable” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In his letter Mr Ali said he was “shocked” by the clubbing of his complaint against Mr Bidhuri with the ones levelled against him for allegedly provoking the BJP MP. Both lawmakers had been summoned by the Lok Sabha’s Privileges Committee; Mr Bidhuri skipped the first summons.
On Thursday, months after the comment, and after severe criticism, Mr Bidhuri apologised.
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