NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra is set to be summoned by a Parliamentary panel and is expected to appear before it on October 31. This revelation came during a meeting held in connection to the 'cash for query' allegations against Moitra. The first meeting regarding these allegations against TMC Member of Parliament (MP) Mahua Moitra took place earlier in the day.
During this meeting, lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai and BJP leader Nishikant Dubey both appeared before the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha to record their statements regarding the cash-for-query allegations against Moitra. In his complaint to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, BJP member Nishikant Dubey cited documents shared by Dehadrai to support his cash-for-query allegations against Moitra.
After appearing before the committee, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey emphasized that the questions raised were normal parliamentary inquiries. He expressed concerns about the dignity and propriety of Parliament and suggested that all MPs share this concern. He also pointed out that documents, which he considers irrefutable, support his allegations, even as Moitra vehemently denied the accusations.
In a letter dated October 15 to Speaker Om Birla, Dubey alleged that the lawyer, who was once close to Moitra, had provided evidence of bribes exchanged between her and businessman Darshan Hiranandani. These alleged bribes were supposedly aimed at targeting the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chairman of Parliament's Ethics Committee, Vinod Sonkar, confirmed the summoning of Mahua Moitra, stating that the committee had examined the evidence presented by the lawyer and Nishikant Dubey. Given the seriousness of the allegations, the committee decided to summon Moitra to appear on October 31. Furthermore, the committee decided to seek details from the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the conversations between Darshan Hiranandani, Mahua Moitra, and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had referred the matter to the committee, which is chaired by BJP member Vinod Kumar Sonkar. Dehadrai was the first to record his statement before the Ethics Committee, followed by Nishikant Dubey. Dubey asserted that he would respond to any questions posed by the committee during his appearance.
Mahua Moitra vehemently rejected the allegations, dismissing them as the lies of a "jilted ex," an apparent reference to Dehadrai. She accused the Adani Group of being behind the allegations, suggesting that they were an attempt to target her due to her persistent scrutiny of the conglomerate's practices and transactions. In his signed affidavit, Hiranandani, the CEO of the eponymous real estate-to-energy group, alleged that he had paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament, with the apparent intention of tarnishing Gautam Adani's image and embarrassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had an impeccable reputation that gave the opposition limited opportunities to criticize him.
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