Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 21: Even as exchange of fire continued between the BJP Member of Parliament and his Trinamool Congress colleague continued over “cash for query’ complaint, the advocate who had supplied the information to the complainant has expressed fear about threat to his life.
The Mahua Moitra-Darshan Hiranandani affidavit controversy escalated on Saturday with both the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, the complainant, Ms Moitra firing salvos at each other. While Mr Dubey alleged the TMC MP had mortgaged the country’s security for money, claiming that her parliamentary ID was used in Dubai when she was in India, Ms Moitra hit back and accused the MP of leaking information pointing out that it was nothing unusual that an MP’s staff members handle their e-mails.
Mr Dubey, who had filed the complaint against Ms Moitra before the Lok Sabha Speaker, accusing her of taking bribes the Hiranandani for asking questions targeting the Adani group, alleged on Saturday that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has informed an investigating agency that her ID was used in Dubai when she was in India.
In a post on X, Mr Dubey wrote in Hindi, “An MP mortgaged the country’s security for some money. The parliament ID was opened in Dubai when the so-called MP was in India. The entire Indian government, the Prime Minister of the country, the finance department, the central agencies are on this NIC.” “Does the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition still have to do politics? People will take a decision. The NIC has given this information to probe agency,” Mr. Dubey said but did not name the agency.
Countering Mr Dubey’s claims, the TMC MP asked the NIC to release details publicly and show that MPs were physically present in places from where their IDs were accessed by their personal assistants, researchers, interns and staff members.
In his affidavit, businessman Darshan Hiranandani had claimed that Ms Moitra had given him her parliament login ID to frame questions on the Adani group, which she felt was the “only way” to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The businessman claimed Ms Moitra wanted to quickly make a name for herself at the national level and she was told by her friends and advisors that the shortest possible route to fame was by personally attacking PM Modi.
He said the TMC MP made frequent demands and kept asking him for various favours. This included gifting her expensive luxury items, providing support on the renovation of her officially allotted bungalow in Delhi, travel expenses and holidays.
Ms Moitra has denied the allegations and said she is ready to face questions from the Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee, which is looking into Mr Dubey’s complaint or inquiry by any central agency.
The Supreme Court lawyer who had written to the CBI and a BJP MP alleging that he had evidence of Ms Moitra accepting bribes from a businessman to ask questions in parliament, has now sent a letter to the Delhi Police commissioner claiming that he anticipates “a very serious threat to his life” because of the complaint.
Jai Anant Dehadrai has also claimed a direct attempt was made to coerce him into withdrawing his complaint and threats of harming his reputation were made if he did not agree. Mr Dehadrai, who Ms Moitra has called her “jilted ex”, was reportedly in a relationship with the Trinamool MP and the two have allegedly not been on the best terms since they parted ways. One of the reasons for the friction between them is their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. Both have accused the other of ‘stealing’ Henry and a battle for his custody is being fought in court. The dog is currently with Ms Moitra.
In his letter to the commissioner, Mr Dehadrai has said he was writing under “extremely distressing circumstances” and was anticipating a threat to his life because of his complaint dated October 14 against Ms Moitra and others, which he had submitted to the CBI and to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
The lawyer alleged that, on Thursday, a direct attempt was made to coerce him into withdrawing his complaint. “Threats of reputational harm were also conveyed in case I did not agree. The very specific demand was that I should unconditionally withdraw both the complaints in which very serious allegations pertaining to national security and corruption have been alleged by me against Smt. Moitra and others. It was stated that my pet Rottweiler Henry would be returned by Ms Moitra to me if I agreed to withdraw the said complaints,” Mr Dehadrai wrote.
In a signed affidavit submitted to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, Hiranandani admitted to using Ms Moitra’s parliamentary login to ask questions targeting Adani after state-owned behemoth Indian Oil Corporation booked capacity at the Gujarat-based conglomerate’s Dhamra LNG import facility in Odisha and not at his firm’s planned facility.
Ms. Moitra, whose party has kept quiet on the issue, has remained combative and continued to attack the Adani Group and Mr Dubey, dismissing the allegations against her. “Adani may use BJP agencies to browbeat competition and buy airports but just try doing it with me,” she had said on October 15 after the allegations surfaced.
Ms Moitra said on Friday, “I welcome answering questions to CBI and Ethics Committee [which has absolute majority of BJP members] if and when they call me. I have neither time nor interest to feed an Adani-directed media circus trial or answer BJP trolls. I am enjoying Durga Puja in Nadia.”
