Cash for Query: Mahua Moitra Seeks Fresh Date for Appearing Before Ethics Committee

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Oct 27: Taking objections to announcing the summons on Live TV and citing prior engagements, the Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has sought fresh appointment for appearing before the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha in connection with the “cash for query” charges.

Ms Moitra on Friday said she would not appear before the parliamentary Ethics Committee, which is inquiring into complaints of “cash for query” against her, on October 31. The committee is currently probing allegations that the Trinamool MP allowed businessman Darshan Hiranandani to access her parliamentary login to post questions directly for Lok Sabha.

Explaining why she won’t be able to depose on October 31, Ms Moitra said, “Chairman, Ethics Committee announced my 31/10 summons on live TV way before official letter emailed to me at 19:20 hrs. All complaints & suo moto affidavits also released to media.” Ms Moitra said that she would appear before the committee immediately after the pre-scheduled programmes in her constituency end on November 4.

The ethics committee had on Thursday recorded statements of the complainant Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP, and Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who had supplied the information about Ms Moitra’a alleged corrupt actions. Ms Moitra has previously called Mr Dehadrai her “jilted ex.” She has been accused of taking money to ask questions in parliament, on behalf of the businessman, allegedly designed to target the government and the Adani Group.

In an affidavit, Mr Hiranandani had also corroborated the allegations against Ms Moitra and had alleged that the TMC MP shared her Lok Sabha e-mail ID so he could send her information targeting the Adani Group and she could raise questions in parliament. He claimed she later gave him the login so he could post directly. “Mahua Moitra wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level. She was advised by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame is by personally attacking PM Narendra Modi,” Mr Hiranandani alleged in the affidavit.

The Ethics Committee has sought Ms Moitra’s login and travel details to try and verify allegations that she allowed businessman Darshan Hiranandani to access her parliamentary login to post questions directly for Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha MP has been accused of taking money to ask questions in parliament, on behalf of the businessman. The panel has also written to the Ministry of External Affairs to check if an affidavit by Darshan Hiranandani, who is based in Dubai, was ratified. The panel has said it would call “no more witnesses” after hearing Ms Moitra, and submit its report in the beginning of November.

Mr Dehadrai claims “irrefutable evidence” of Darshan Hiranandani giving the Trinamool leader bribes to ask questions critical of the Adani Group. Ms Moitra has denied all allegations and had said she was ready to answer questions from the committee.

In another development also linked with the TMC, a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet in West Bengal Jyoti Priya Mallick was on Friday arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case relating to irregularities in the State’s public distribution system (PDS). Mr. Mallick was arrested in the early hours of Friday after the central investigation agency held raids on eight of his properties for nearly 20 hours.

“I am a victim of a conspiracy,” Mr. Mallick told journalists as he was being taken by the ED from his residence to ED office in Kolkata in the early hours of Friday. Later on Friday morning when the Minister was taken for a medical check-up, he blamed the BJP and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for his arrest.

The Minister who was in charge of the State’s Food and Supplies Department is the second sitting minister to be arrested by the ED. In June, last year, the ED had arrested the then education minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the alleged school job recruitment scam. Several MLAs of the ruling party as well as officials of the State Education Department are behind bars for their involvement in the school job scam

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Thursday decried ED raids on the properties of Mr Mallick. “Jyoti Priya Mallick is unwell. I will lodge an FIR against the ED and the BJP if anything happens to him during the raids,” the TMC chairperson had said. The case in which the Minister has been arrested dates back to 2020-21 when FIRs relating to irregularities in the public distribution system were registered at a few in the police stations of the State.

After investigation by state police the ED took up the matter. Last week the ED had arrested businessman Bakibur Rehman in connection with the same case. The ED has found properties valuing about ₹100 crore in the name of Bakibur Rahman, who is said to be very close to the Minister.