Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has broken her long silence on the controversy surrounding Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's likely expulsion from the Lok Sabha, declaring it will boost her chances in next year's general election. "Mahua Moitra's expulsion from Lok Sabha is being planned... but this will help her before the election," Ms Banerjee said Thursday at an event in Kolkata.
"They have planned to chase out Mahua. She will become popular for three months. What she said inside... she will say outside. She will hold press conferences every day. What does she lose?"
Ms Banerjee also ripped into the ruling BJP over the arrests of her party's MLAs, including Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was taken into custody this month in an alleged multi-crore ration scam. "They have arrested four MLAs... think they can reduce our strength like this. We have also decided. If they defame four of us... there are cases of murder against them. I will put eight of them in jail," she said.
Prior to this short, but significant message, of support, Ms Banerjee had refused to discuss the furore surrounding Ms Moitra, who is accused of taking bribes, including Rs 2 crore in cash, from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions targeting the Modi government in Parliament.
The Trinamool's silence was jumped on by the BJP, which claimed Ms Moitra has been "abandoned", and that Ms Banerjee's silence was an admission of her party leader's guilt.
READ | Mamata Banerjee Mum On Mahua Moitra But Warns Agency After Raids
However, amid the controversy Mahua Moitra was given a new post - district chief of the party's Krishnanagar (Nadia North) office, which falls within her Lok Sabha constituency.
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.
On November 9 Mr Banerjee called Ms Moitra a "victim of politics".
READ | "Mahua Moitra A Victim Of Politics": Abhishek Banerjee
And, before that, the Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien simply said the party would take an appropriate decision after the inquiry that finished this month - following a stormy hearing in which Ms Moitra accused the committee of asking "filthy" questions while recording her statement.
READ | Questions Asked Of Mahua Moitra After Which She Walked Out Of Meet
In its report, now before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the committee recommended Ms Moitra be expelled from Parliament. It found her actions "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal".
Ms Moitra has been accused of sharing the login credentials for her account on the top-secret Parliament server. She has admitted to this, arguing it is common practice for all MPs.
READ | "Gave Darshan Hiranandani My Parliament Login Credentials": Mahua Moitra
She has, however, denied charges she accepted bribes from Mr Hiranandani, who claimed she asked for various favours, including luxury gifts, in return for asking certain questions.
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