The Hindu : National : Expel Katara, says Parliamentary panel

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National

Expel Katara, says Parliamentary panel

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha Parliamentary Committee to look into alleged instances of misconduct by the House members on Monday finalised its recommendation that Babubhai Katara, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha MP from Dohad, Gujarat, be expelled.

The report is expected to be submitted to Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on the first day of the second part of the current session scheduled to start on October 17. On Monday, the minutes of the last meeting, where the expulsion decision was unanimously agreed upon, were finalised.

It is learnt that the members of the Kishore Deo Committee noted that Mr. Katara had not presented himself before the committee even once, under one pretext or another, although he continued to attend standing committee meetings and participate in various official tours by parliamentary committees.

The committee also had before it reports of a police investigation into charges of human trafficking against him. Those investigations revealed that “he had six passports in names of six children although he has only three children,” a committee member said.

The BJP has already expelled him from the party and it had moved the Speaker’s office for his expulsion under the anti-defection law as he had failed to abide by the party whip on the voting in the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

Similar pleas for disqualification against several MPs of the BJP, the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party, the Samajwadi Party and others on the basis of violation of party whip are pending before Mr. Chatterjee and decisions on those cases could also be finalised before October 17.

The Speaker has already asked the concerned MPs to appear before him to give their versions. The chief whips of the concerned parties have also been asked by Mr. Chatterjee to place before him the party’s view.

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