Mahua Moitra slams govt over 'traitor bench' for rebel lawmakers

TMC's Mahua Moitra slammed the govt over a 'traitor bench' for rebel MPs. Meanwhile, Congress's Randeep Surjewala sought a Rajya Sabha discussion on alleged financial irregularities related to the Ayodhya Ram Temple trust.

Moitra Slams Govt Over 'Traitor Bench' for Rebel MPs

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra slammed the government over the seating arrangements and the inclusion of rebel lawmakers in official proceedings, terming it a "traitor bench." Speaking to reporters, Moitra revealed that the joint Opposition staged a walkout during the all-party meeting over the presence of 20 lawmakers facing disqualification petitions. She claimed these members have aligned with an unrecognised faction, the NCPI, despite their merger not yet receiving formal approval from the Speaker. The TMC leader argued that the traditional layout of the house has been compromised to accommodate the rebel group, creating what she fiercely labelled a new parliamentary classification.

She said, "...Today we have seen that these 20 renegade traitor MPs whose disqualification petitions are pending, who claim to have joined an unrecognised party NCPI, but their merger has not been approved by the Speaker - yet they were invited to the All-Party meeting yesterday."

"All the Opposition walked out in protest; today we see that the Govt has changed the seats. There used to be Treasury Bench and Opposition Bench," she added. Highlighting the opposition's concern over the new seating arrangements, Mahua Moitra said, "Today, a new category has come, the Traitor Bench. Sudip Bandyopadhyay is going to be sitting in the front as the leader of the Traitor Bench. This is a new day in the Parliamentary democracy."

Congress Seeks Discussion on Alleged Ram Temple Trust Irregularities

On the other hand, on Monday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala submitted a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of the day's business in the Rajya Sabha to hold an urgent discussion on the alleged embezzlement and misuse of donations made to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, while seeking to fix accountability of the government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

In his notice addressed to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General, Surjewala urged that all scheduled business of the House be suspended to take up what he described as a matter of "urgent public importance." He alleged that the issue involved "theft, loot and embezzlement" of donations made by crores of devotees and called for a detailed discussion to ensure accountability of both the government and the temple trust.

Referring to the Supreme Court's November 9, 2019, verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, Surjewala noted that the Centre constituted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on February 5, 2020, following the court's directions. He said devotees had contributed thousands of crores of rupees, individually and collectively, towards the construction of the temple.

The Congress MP alleged that several irregularities had surfaced in connection with the temple trust, including alleged financial irregularities in land purchases, alleged commissions during construction, alleged misappropriation of gold, silver and other valuable donations, and alleged corruption in expenditure incurred for various events organised by the trust. He claimed that a comprehensive and impartial probe could bring out more instances of alleged irregularities.

Surjewala also questioned the handling of the matter by the authorities, alleging that despite the seriousness of the accusations, earlier investigations had not reached a conclusion and accountability had not been fixed. He said the trust was constituted by the government under the Supreme Court's directions and, therefore, both the government and the trust were responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability.

The notice has been moved under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), which allows a member to seek suspension of the House's listed business to discuss a matter of urgent public importance. (ANI)

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