New Delhi: A day after the Lok Sabha ethics committee recommended the expulsion of Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitra from the House in connection with cash-for-query allegations, the Opposition on Friday started questioning the pace of the proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Ramesh Bidhuri.

Bidhuri is accused of hurling communally explicit remarks at Bahujan Samaj Party parliamentarian Danish Ali during the special session in the middle of a discussion on the successful lunar touchdown of Chandrayaan 3. Ali’s complaint against Bidhuri is before the Lok Sabha privileges committee.

“Ramesh Bidhuri shamelessly spews offensive remarks, trampling on the sanctity of Parliament. Shockingly, no action taken by the ethics committee—why? Simply because he’s a BJP politician!” said Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

“On the flip side, Smt. Mahua Moitra, not towing the BJP line, dares to question the central government on vital public matters. And what does she get? Harassment and threats of expulsion! Seems like a free pass to misbehave if you’re in the BJP! What mockery of justice is this?” he added.

During his speech on Chandrayaan 3 in the special session of Parliament in September, Bidhuri taunted Ali on communal lines using objectionable language that was later expunged. Ali’s complaint against Bidhuri was then referred to the privileges panel led by BJP lawmaker Sunil Kumar Singh.

The panel summoned Bidhuri on October 10 to record his statement. There are no more meetings scheduled so far. There is also no complaint before the ethics committee.

After the controversy broke out on September 22, BJP chief JP Nadda had issued a show cause notice to the lawmaker from South Delhi and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla had given him an ultimatum.

But Opposition leaders had argued that the privileges case against Bidhuri had not reached its logical conclusion.

“Has Ramesh Bidhuri appeared in front of ethics committee? Will television media continue to play to the tune of powers to be or will they practice journalism? Will Gautam Adani be scrutinised for his business practices like Facebook CEO is in the US Congress?” Congress’s Lok Sabha deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi tweeted on November 3.

On Friday, Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen echoed the sentiment. “There are several cases pending before the ethics committee, privilege committee. BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s case is also pending…This is the BJP’s vendetta politics. If anyone speaks against BJP, government and Adani, the BJP will finish them…”

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek O’Brien hinted at the possibility of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc adopting a strategy when a resolution on Moitra’s expulsion comes for voting in the Lok Sabha in the upcoming winter session. “That is a matter of tactics,” said O’Brien, “It will be decided at an appropriate time”

The Lok Sabha ethics committee on Thursday adopted a report recommending the expulsion of Moitra for sharing her login credentials and password with an unauthorised person, its impact on national security, and finding that it amounted to unethical conduct and contempt of the House.

The recommendations of the report, which was adopted by a margin of 6-4, also mentioned that Moitra accepted “money — cash and kind, amenities and various other facilities” from businessman Darshan Hiranandani, with whom the password and login details were shared