Mamata Banerjee Breaks Silence On Mahua Moitra's Likely Expulsion From Lok Sabha But Stops Short Of Defending Her In 'Cash-For-Query' Case

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has broken her long silence on the ongoing controversy over the potential expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha.

"Mahua Moitra's expulsion from Lok Sabha is being planned... but this will help her before (the 2024 general) election," Banerjee said on Thursday at an event in Kolkata, reports NDTV.

She criticised the ruling BJP over the use of central investigative agencies to target opposition leaders.

"Central agencies targetting opposition leaders at present will go after BJP, following the 2024 election," she said,

"This government at the centre is there for three more months," she added.

Before this brief statement supporting Moitra, Banerjee had declined to engage in conversations about the controversy involving the TMC MP, who is accused of taking bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions targeting the Narendra Modi government in Parliament.

Previously, the only senior Trinamool leader to publicly discuss Mahua Moitra was Abhishek Banerjee, the party's National General Secretary, and that was only a brief reference.

"(From) what I read of the Ethics Committee report, they have said an investigation should happen against her. (But) if you do not have anything against Mahua (Moitra) and it is the subject of investigation, why has an expulsion been recommended?" Banerjee asked.

"I feel Mahua (Moitra) is competent enought to fight her battles on her own. They (the BJP) have been victimising me for four years too... it is their standard practice," he declared.

Before this, Derek O'Brien, a Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP, merely stated that the party would make a suitable decision following the conclusion of the ethics panel inquiry.

The panel investigation concluded earlier this month, after a tumultuous session where Moitra alleged that the committee posed "filthy" queries during her testimony.

The committee, in its report currently under the review of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, has suggested the expulsion of Moitra from Parliament in the forthcoming Winter Session.

The committee said it found her actions "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal".