MP Mahua Moitra To Confront Ethics Committee In Cash-For-Query Controversy

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament, Mahua Moitra, announced on Wednesday her intention to appear before the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha on Thursday, November 2. This appearance is in response to the committee's directive regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding allegations of accepting cash for asking questions in Parliament. Moitra made this declaration via X, previously known as Twitter, where she shared a two-page letter expressing her desire to "cross-examine" Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who had accused her of receiving bribes in exchange for posing questions in Parliament.

Furthermore, Moitra reiterated her request to cross-examine businessman Darshan Hiranandani, who, in a "sworn affidavit," claimed that she had shared her Parliament login details to inquire about the Adani Group with the intention of targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In her X post, Moitra emphasized the importance of her releasing the letter to the Ethics Committee, especially since the committee had made her summons to the media public. In the letter, she formally stated her intention to cross-examine Dehadrai and Hiranandani, urging the committee to provide a written decision on whether they would allow or disallow this cross-examination.

Moitra raised questions about whether the Ethics Committee is the appropriate platform to investigate alleged criminal activities, suggesting that law enforcement agencies should handle such investigations to prevent any potential misuse of committees by governments with a significant majority in Parliament. She also requested that if the Ethics Committee relies on any report from any department, she should be given access to the document and be allowed to cross-examine the relevant department.

Moitra noted her surprise that the committee had declined her initial request for a summon date after November 5, citing pre-scheduled Vijaya Dashami programs. She pointed to the case of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who was summoned by the Lok Sabha's Privileges Committee in a hate speech dispute with Bahujan Samaj Party's Danish Ali on October 10 but was later allowed to appear at a later time upon his request. Moitra criticized what she perceived as double standards and suggested that such examples cast doubt on the credibility of privileges and ethics panels.

The controversy in question, often referred to as the "cash-for-query" row, originated from a letter written by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Ethics Committee, alleging that Moitra accepted bribes for posing questions in Parliament based on Dehadrai's letter. Dehadrai had claimed to possess "irrefutable evidence" of Moitra accepting bribes from Hiranandani to ask questions about the Adani Group, a rival of the Hiranandani Group, with the apparent intent of targeting PM Modi.

Initially, the Hiranandani Group denied the allegations, asserting that it did not engage in the "business of politics." However, Hiranandani later reversed his stance by submitting a controversial "affidavit."

Moitra consistently denied these allegations, even characterizing Dehadrai as a "jilted ex," and highlighting their acrimonious personal relationship and a custody dispute over a pet. In an exclusive interview with India Today, she clarified that the only gifts she received from Hiranandani were a scarf, a lipstick, and an eye shadow. These were the items that had been cited as evidence of bribery in exchange for parliamentary questions.