Cash-for-query case: In a surprising turn of events, Lok Sabha MP Mahua Maitra, who is facing allegations of taking bribes for raising questions in Parliament, has garnered unexpected support from the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation. Notably, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has chosen to keep a distance from the controversy involving its MP.
CPIML(L) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya expressed support for Mahua Moitra and accused the BJP of conducting a "character assassination" campaign against her. In a social media post, he said Moitra is known for her powerful speeches in Parliament against the Narendra Modi government, the RSS and the BJP.
Here's what Bhattacharya said in support of Mahua Maitra
Coming out in support of the TMC MP, the CPIML(L) leader claimed, in a Facebook post, that it is a "character assassination campaign against Mahua Moitra".
Bhattacharya criticised BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, accusing him of frequently using derogatory and misogynistic language in Parliament. He also questioned the quick referral of Dubey's complaint against Mahua Moitra to the Parliament's Ethics Committee. The specific details and context of this situation are not provided in the information.
“Ironically, the Ethics Committee also comprises Danish Ali of the BSP, who is yet to get justice in the case of the hate-filled threats directed against him by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri,” Bhattacharya said. He also claimed that a “dubious” affidavit signed by Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani is the only weapon for Dubey to defame Moitra in the matter.
“The affidavit followed an initial denial issued by the Hiranandani Group in response to Dubey’s allegations. The affidavit also accuses corporate lawyers Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff and journalist Sucheta Dalal of helping Moitra in raising questions against the Adani Group, an allegation that has been categorically denied by the concerned lawyers and the journalist,” Bhattacharya said.
"There is clearly a concerted attempt by the Modi government to target every opposition parliamentarian who has been vocal about the Adani group’s corruption and the Modi-Adani nexus. Rahul Gandhi was dismissed from Lok Sabha, Sanjay Singh has been arrested and now Mahua Moitra finds herself at the receiving end of a character assassination campaign and a conspiratorial bid to end her Lok Sabha membership," he said.
"The targeting of Mahua Moitra should not be seen as an extension of any corporate rivalry or driven by vengeance harboured by a few individuals for their own reasons. The Modi government is targeting these parliamentarians not just to persecute some opposition voices or silence the parliamentary debate but to delegitimise any questioning of Adani’s monumental corporate fraud or of the Modi-Adani nexus being driven by corporate rivalry and corrupt political means. The battle against fascist aggression and corporate plunder must therefore stand with every persecuted parliamentarian – Rahul Gandhi or Sanjay Singh, Danish Ali or Mahua Moitra – regardless of their political affiliations," he added.
What is the controversy?
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has accused Moitra of taking bribes from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament and urged Speaker Om Birla to constitute an inquiry committee to look into the charges against her. The BJP leader also demanded immediate suspension of Moitra from the House.
Claiming that an advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai has shared “irrefutable evidence” of the bribes, Dubey demanded the Lok Sabha Speaker to constitute an inquiry committee against Moitra. “I am in receipt of a letter from Jai Anant Dehadrai, Advocate, wherein, he has shared irrefutable evidence of bribes exchanged between Mohua Moitra, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Darshan Hiranandani, a well-known business tycoon, to ask question(s) in Parliament in exchange for 'Cash' and 'Gifts',” the BJP MP alleged in the letter dated October 15.
Dubey claimed that the advocate has done an “elaborate and painstaking research” on the basis of which he has concluded that till quite recently, Moitra asked approximately 50 questions in Parliament, out of total 61, posted by her, which “shockingly seek information, with the intent of protecting or perpetuating business interests of Darshan Hiranandani and his Company”.
Notably, BJP leader Dubey's complaint has been referred to Parliament's Ethics Committee by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Darshan Hiranandani allegedly paid Moitra
Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group, recently claimed in a signed affidavit that she targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose “impeccable reputation” gave opposition no opportunity to attack him. He alleged that Moitra provided him with her Parliament login and password to ask questions targeting Adani.
Vinod Sonkar, the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, had said he had received the sworn-in affidavit from Hiranandani.
