More twists in the murky cash-for-queries saga.
Embattled Trinamul Congress parliamentarian Mahua Moitra has now expressed her inability to appear before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on October 31, the earlier scheduled date on which she was summoned by the panel to make her submission in the ongoing imbroglio.
In a letter to Vinod Kumar Sonkar, chairperson, Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, on Friday Moitra sought an alternative appearance date after November 5 as per the committee’s choice stating she would remain busy in her constituency in Krishnanagar in Bengal’s Nadia district with pre-committed programmes till November 4.
Interestingly, the accused Trinamul MP has also demanded that she be allowed to “cross examine” her businessman friend and CEO of the real estate-to-energy eponymous Hiranandani Group, Darshan Hiranandani, who earlier submitted an affidavit notarised at the Indian High Commission in Dubai and admitted to using Moitra’s parliamentary login to pose questions targeting the Adani Group. Hiranandani also accepted the allegation of having gifted the MP with “expensive luxury items,” “support to renovate officially allotted bungalow in Delhi” and “travel expenses, holidays… within India and to different parts of the world”.
The summons to Moitra to appear and present her side of the story on October 31 was issued by the 14-member committee after it took turns to hear the two complainants, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, on Thursday.
The committee, meanwhile, has sought details of both Moitra’s and Hiranandani’s foreign trips from the Union external affairs ministry. It has also approached the information technology ministry for date and location details of login accesses into Moitra’s parliament account.
The controversy over Moitra’s misuse of parliamentary privileges and her alleged involvement in the ‘Cash for Query’ scandal broke out after Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla claiming he had proof of the charges against Moitra accepting bribes to ask questions targeting the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as supplied to him by Dehadrai. Dubey, in his letter, had alleged a ‘serious breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and ‘Criminal Offence’ under section 120A of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and urged Moitra’s “immediate suspension” from the Lok Sabha and initiation of CBI probe against her.
While Moitra has, from the very beginning, rubbished those charges calling them “jilted ex’s lies” and vendetta of a BJP MP whose educational qualifications she had publicly questioned before, she claimed that the dust-up was on account of the “BJP’s one point agenda to expel her from the Lok Sabha to shut her up on Adani”.
In her letter to the Ethics Committee chairman on Friday, Moitra stated: “I am already committed to attending numerous pre-scheduled Vijaya Dashami Sammelans/meetings (both government and political) in my constituency from 30th October to 4th November 2023 and cannot be in Delhi on 31st October 2023.”
“Therefore, I request to be given time to appear in person before the committee at ANY DATE AND TIME OF THE COMMITTEE’S choice after 5th November, 2023,” she went on to add.
Referring to a similar courtesy of rescheduled appearance recently extended to South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri by the parliament’s Privileges Committee, Moitra stated: “I eagerly look forward to physically attending and presenting my defence against the slanderous charges levelled against me at the next date provided by you.”
In allusion to Hiranandani’s statements, Moitra stated: “His affidavit, available in the public domain, is extremely scant on detail and provides no actual inventory of what he has allegedly given me. Given the seriousness of the allegations and in keeping with the principles of natural justice it is imperative that I am allowed to exercise my right to cross-examine Shri Hiranandani. It is also imperative that he appear before the committee and provide a detailed and verified list of the alleged gifts and favours he allegedly provided to me.”
Despite Moitra’s spirited stand in self-defence, the Trinamul Congress has so far maintained its distance from the row with party supremo Mamata Banerjee herself choosing to stay mum on the issue.
“I have an impeccable record of personal integrity and honesty both while serving as an MLA in the state legislature as well as an MP in the 17th Lok Sabha,” Moitra stated in her concluding remarks to the committee.
“Given that I am a vocal member of the Opposition responsible for raising my voice against various corporate scams and issues pertaining to national importance, it is vital for the fabric of Indian democracy that I am allowed to defend myself and clear my name in the face of this motivated and malicious slander campaign against me,” she asserted.
