The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee is learnt to have recommended the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha in the alleged cash-for-query scam on the grounds of "unethical conduct" having an impact on national security. The committee is headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar and will meet today to adopt its draft report. The opposition members of the panel are likely to oppose the draft report.

As per the report, the committee has deplored the conduct of Moitra, who has been accused of sharing her parliamentary log-in credentials with a businessman, as "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal". She has also called for a time-bound legal and institutional inquiry by the government. The report added that the government should investigate the alleged money trail between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani as part of quid-pro-quo.

The committee has said that BSP MP Danish Ali, one of its most vocal opposition members, should be admonished for "twisting" the intent of the questions asked by Sonkar to Moitra on November 2.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Moitra, accusing her of asking questions in the Lok Sabha to target the Adani Group at the behest of businessman Hiranandani in exchange for bribes and gifts.

The 15-member committee has seven members from the BJP, three from the Congress, and one each from the BSP, the Shiv Sena, the YSRCP, the CPI(M) and the JD(U).

In the November 2 meeting, opposition members walked out of the proceedings, alleging that Sonkar asked personal and indecent questions to Moitra regarding her travels, hotel stay and telephone calls.

With inputs from PTI