Mahua Moitra has said she welcomes any kind of inquiry.
New Delhi:
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s “cash-for-query” complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has been referred to the Lok Sabha ethics committee.
Nishikant Dubey has alleged that Mahua Moitra “took bribes to ask questions” in parliament on behalf of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP MP wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, accusing Ms Moitra of breach of parliamentary privilege, contempt of House and criminal conspiracy.
Ms Moitra has said she welcomes any kind of inquiry.
The Hiranandani Group has denied the allegation, saying they have “no merit”.
“We have always been in the business of business and not in the business of politics. Our group has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so,” said a spokesperson of the Hiranandani Group.
The Hiranandani Group had lost energy and infra contract to the Adani Group and Ms Moitra’s questions were directed at perpetuating the business interests of the former, Mr Dubey has indicated in his letter to Mr Birla.
He claimed that Mr Hiranandani had paid ~CHECK~ 2 crore and gifts like an expensive iPhone to the Trinamool MP and had given her ~CHECK~ 75 lakh to contest elections.
Between 2019 and 2023, 50 of the 61 questions asked by the Trinamool MP were at the behest of Darshan Hiranandani, Mr Dubey has alleged.
He said Ms Moitra had given the businessman access to her Lok Sabha account, where the questions were posted directly by Mr Hiranandani or Ms Moitra, his letter claimed, citing “painstaking research” done by advocate Jai Anand Dehadrai. The advocate has approached the CBI with some of his allegations.
Ms Moitra has asked questions on oil and gas supply from Paradip, Dhamra Port, urea subsidy, steel prices affecting real estate and the powers of the Income Tax Department, he alleged, adding that the Opposition parties took their cue from her.
In his letter, he has also referred to the cash for questions scam that made headlines in 2005, in which 11 MPS were suspended in a “record time of 23 days” and added that the current situation is no more than a “re-emergence of the cash for query”.
Refuting Mr Dubey’s allegations, Ms Moitra posted: “Multiple breach of privileges pending against fake degreewala & other @BJP4India luminaries. Welcome any motions against me right after Speaker finishes dealing with those.”
On Monday, Union minister for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar cited questions Ms Moitra asked on the subject of data protection, on which he had received queries from the Hiranandani Group as well.
Ms Moitra said Mr Chandrasekhar’s comments were an “insult” to her intelligence. The questions she asked as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Data Protection were valid for all Indians.