Mahua Moitra cash for query controversy: Lok Sabha Ethics Committee to hold first meeting today; Nishikant Dubey, Jai Anant Dehadrai to record statements

The Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee on Thursday will hold its first meeting on the "cash for query" controversy surrounding Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra. BJP Lok Sabha MP and complainant Nishikant Dubey as well as Supreme Court advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai are scheduled to record their statements today in front of the committee headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, news agency PTI reported citing the panel's schedule for Thursday.

Birla forwarded this issue to the Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee. "Oral Evidence of Shri Jai Anant Dehadrai, Advocate in respect of complaint dated 15 October 2023 given by Dr Nishikant Dubey, MP against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament. Oral evidence of Dr Nishikant Dubey, MP, in respect of complaint dated 15 October 2023 given by him against Smt. Mahua Moitra, MP for alleged direct involvement in cash for query in Parliament," the panel's schedule for Thursday said.

Dubey in a formal complaint submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla referred to the documents provided by Jai Anant Dehadrai. He claimed in his letter to the speaker that Moitra took gifts and cash from Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions on Adani in Parliament.

Dubey had said Dehadrai, who was once close to the TMC MP, has shared "irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged" between Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Gautam Adani-led ports-to-power conglomerate Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He claimed that 50 out of the 61 questions that Moitra asked in Lok Sabha till the recent session were on the Adani Group.

The TMC MP, on the other hand, has denied these allegations as a "jilted ex's lies", while refering to Dehadrai. She also accused the Adani Group of being behind Dehadrai and Dubey to target her since she has been unrelenting in raising questions on issues pertaining to the ports-to-power conglomerate's practices and transactions.

Meanwhile, Darshan Hiranandani has admitted in a signed affidavit that the TMC leader targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Modi whose reputation gave the Opposition no opportunity to attack him.

"She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking Shri Narendra Modi...The only problem was that Sh. Modi enjoyed an impeccable reputation, and was not giving any opportunity to anyone to attack him in policy, governance, or personal conduct. As was her wont, she thought that the only way to attack Sh. Modi is by attacking Sh. Gautam Adani and his group as both were contemporaries, and they belong to the same state of Gujarat," he wrote.

He further said that Moitra made frequent demands of him and kept asking him for favours, which he had to fulfill to remain in close proximity to her and get her support for his business. Hiranandani said these demands included "gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on the renovation of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses, holidays, etc, apart from providing secretarial and logistical help for her travels within India and to different parts of the world".

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?

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