Mahua Moitra says she will appear before ethics panel on Nov 2, wants to 'cross-examine' lawyer

Cash-for-query case: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday said that she will appear before the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha for her hearing on November 2. She added that she would like to cross-examine" Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who accused her of taking bribes for asking questions in Parliament.

Last week, the Lok Sabha panel summoned Moitra to depose before it on November 2 though she requested a hearing date after November 5 to accommodate her existing commitments. 

However, the committee asserted that it would not entertain any request for further extension.

On Wednesday, Moitra posted a two-page letter on  X (formerly Twitter), in which she reiterated her demand of "cross-examining" businessman Darshan Hiranandani, who in a "sworn affidavit" had accused her of sharing her Parliament login details with him to ask questions in the House against billionaire Gautam Adani.

"Since Ethics Committee deemed it fit to release my summons to the media I think it is important I too release my letter to the Committee before my “hearing” tomorrow," Moitra wrote on X.

The Lok Sabha panel is examining the allegations of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who said that Moitra had accepted money and gifts from Dubai-based businessman Hiranandani for raising questions in Parliament targeting Adani group. 

Dubey's complaint was based on a letter written by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who is reportedly Moitra's former partner.

Dehadrai's letter, which Dubey has cited in his complaint, mentions "irrefutable evidence of bribes" exchanged between Moitra and Hiranandani. Furthermore, it has been alleged that 50 of the 61 questions that Moitra asked in Parliament until recently were with the intent of "protecting or perpetuating business interests" of Hiranandani and his conglomerate.

Earlier, Moitra has dismissed all allegations against her and lashed out at Dubey and Dehadrai with "fake degree MP" and "jilted ex" comments. 

On Tuesday, Moitra wrote a letter to the chairperson of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee where though she said she would depose before the panel, but she questioned whether it is the appropriate forum to examine allegations of alleged criminality.

In her open letter to the panel, the TMC MP said she wants to "place on record" about wanting to cross-examine Dehadrai and Hiranandani. "I wish to place on record that I am requesting the committee to answer in writing and place on record their decision to either allow or disallow such cross-examination," Moitra's X post read.

Moitra added that if the ethics panel relies on any report sought from any department, she should also be given a copy of the document and allowed to cross-examine the department concerned.

On Tuesday, Moitra and other Opposition leaders -- Congress’s Shashi Tharoor, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said that they had received a “threat notification” from Apple, warning of a “potential state-sponsored spyware attack” on their iPhones. They hit out at the Centre and suggested that it was behind the spyware attack attempt.

Congress’s Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also said they received similar notifications.

Following that, Apple issued a statement saying it “does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker”.

“State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected,” the tech company said on Thursday. “We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future,” the iPhone maker said. 

As per screenshots shared by many parliamentarians, the notification from Apple said, “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone.”

Moitra on Tuesday further said she will be writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting him to follow Raj Dharma to protect opposition MPs over the purported warning by Apple of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" her iPhone.

She also urged Birla to summon the Union Home Ministry officials over the issue.

In a post on X, Moitra said, "Writing officially to @loksabhaspeaker @ombirlakota requesting he follow RajDharma to protect Opposition MPs & summon @HMOIndia officials ASAP on our phones/email being hacked. Privileges Committee needs to take this up. @AshwiniVaishnaw this is a real breach you need to worry about." She also compared the situation to the Emergency period experienced by the country in 1975.

Also read: iPhone hacking: Many politicians claim their phones hacked, so how safe are iPhones and what is Apple warning

Also read: 'Someone must have played a prank': Piyush Goyal amid hacking allegations over Apple's 'state-sponsored hackers' alert

Also read: Apple sent alerts on state-sponsored attackers targeting phone, allege Mahua Moitra, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shashi Tharoor, others