"I will fight": TMC MP Mahua Moitra reacts on her expulsion from Lok Sabha

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha following the tabling of a report of the Ethics Committee which recommended her expulsion in a “cash-for-query” case. The opposition staged a a walkout before the passing of the motion moved by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi. Now for the first time reacting on her expulsion, Moitra said, ""I am 49 years old, I will fight you for the next 30 years inside Parliament, outside Parliament," said the TMC leader. Earlier, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla disallowed Moitra from speaking in the house, saying that she had been given the opportunity at the panel meet, leading to the former walking out shouting “I have a right to be heard”. The House had reconvened at 2 PM after it was adjourned amid protests by Opposition leaders.  Citing the length of the 104-page report, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to allow MPs sufficient time to delve into the contents of the report. 

In a formal request, he had proposed a timeframe of 3 to 4 days, so that the members would be able to go through the report before engaging in a discussion. Heavens would not have fallen if we were given three-four days so that we could present our views in a proper manner,” said Congress MP Manish Tewari.Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, while speaking in the Lok Sabha, said that the House does not have the power to remove Mahua Moitra as its member. Earlier, the Lok Sabha speaker had not permitted Moitra to speak on the matter, saying she had been provided with an opportunity to speak at the panel meet..Moitra, a Member of Parliament for Trinamool Congress (TMC) from West Bengal state's Krishnanagar constituency, was accused by her former personal friend and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai and Nishikant Dubey — a lawmaker from PM Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party — of accepting money and expensive gifts for asking a certain set of questions in Lok Sabha. Moitra has accepted that she shared her online credentials with a businessman friend to allow submission of her pre-approved questions which she later intended to ask in Lok Sabha.